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LIVES  OF  THE  WARRIORS 


OF 


THE  THIETY  YEARS'   WAR 


Brats  at  %  StomtiMtttft  €mhx%. 


BY 


UEUT.-GEN.  THE  HON.  SIR  EDWARD  CUST,  D.O.L. 

AUTHOB   OF    "ANNALS   OF    THE   WAES." 


"  For  to  read  History  only  for  contemplation  is  a  vain  and  idle  pleasure,  which 
passeth  away  without  fruit;  but  to  imitate  the  virtue  of  those  praised 
men  in  it,  is  the  true  and  publick  learning." — Icon  Animorum. 


PART  I. 


LONDON : 

JOHN  MURRAY,  ALBEMARLE  STREET. 

1865.      .. 


TO 


THE  QUEEN'S  MOST  EXCELLENT  MAJESTY 


COMPILED 

FOR  NAVAL  AND  MILITARY  INFORMATION, 

ARE, 

BY   HER  MAJESTY'S   CONDESCENDING   PERMISSION, 

WITH  THE  DEEPEST  DEVOTION  AND  MOST 

RESPECTFUL  ATTACHMENT, 

VERY  GRATEFULLY  DEDICATED  BY 

HER  MAJESTY'S  MASTER  OF  THE  CEREMONIES. 


"THEN,    THEN,    YE    LAURELLED    WARRIORS, 
OUR    FEAST    AND    SONG    SHALL    FLOW, 
TO    THE    FAME 
OF    YOUR    NAME, 
WHEN    THE    STORM    HA8    CEASED    TO    BLOW, 
WHEN    THE    FIERY    FIGHT    IS    HEARD    NO    MORE,    AND    THE    STORM 
HAS    CEASED    TO    BLOW." 

CAMPBELL. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Preface vii 

PAET  I. 

Introduction — Revolt  of  the  Netherlands         ....  1 

1567 — 1625.  Maurice   of    Orange-Nassau,    a    Netherlandish 

General  ..........         19 

1569 — 1633.  Ambrosio,  Marquis  de  Spinola,  a  Spanish  General  53 
1585—1626.  Ernest,  Count  Mansfeld,  a  German  General  .  67 
1559 — 1632.  John  Tzerclaes,  Count  von  Tilly,  an  Imperialist 

General 79 

1594—1632.  Gustavus  Adolphus,  King  of  Sweden           .         .       Ill 
1594 — 1632.  Godfrey  Henry,  Count  von  Pappenheim,  an  Im- 
perialist General 223 

1583—1634.  Albrecht  von  Waldstein,  Walstein,  or  Wallen- 
stein,  an  Imperial  General,  Duke  of  Friedland,  Sagan, 
Glogau,  and  Mecklenburg 239 

PAET  II. 

1604 — 1638.  Bernhard,  Duke  of  Saxe   Weimar,   a  German 

General 307 

1596 — 1641.  Johann  Gustaf  von  Baner,  or  Banier,  a  Swedish 

General .343 

1589 — 1647.  Matthias  von  Gallas,  an  Imperialist  General  .  375 
1603 — 1651.  Leonard  Torstenson,  a  Swedish  General  .  .  391 
1594 — 1652.  Johann  de  Werth,  or  Von  Weerth,  an  Imperial 

General 445 

1592—1657.  Gustavus  Horn,  a  Swedish  Field- Marshal  .  .  461 
1599 — 1656-  Octavio  Piccolomini,  an  Imperial  General  .       489 

1613—1676.  Karl  Gustaf  Wrangel,  a  Swedish  General  and 

Admiral  .........       503 

1608 — 1681.  Raymond  de  Montecuculi,  Montccucculi,  or  Mon- 

tecuccoli,  an  Imperialist  General 523 


VI  CONTENTS. 


APPENDIX. 

PAGE 
1581 — 1611.  John  George  Arnhehn,  a  Saxon  General     .         .       539 

—  1634.  John  Aldringer,  or  Altringher,  a  Field-Marshal 

and  Count  of  the  Empire 550 

L622— 1660.  The  Palsgrave  (Charles  X.),  a  Swedish  General  .  552 
1608 — 1657.  King  of  Hungary  (Ferdinand  III.),  Imperialist 

General 558 

1599 — 1615.  Field-Marshal   Count   von   Goetz,    an   Imperial 

General 559 

1602—1643.  Comte  de  Guebriant,  a  Freneh  Marshal      .         .  563 
1593 — 1658.    Count     Melehior     von    Hatzfeld,    Imperialist 

General  .........  567 

1582 — 1635-6.  Dodon  de  Kniphausen,  a  Swedish  General        .  568 
1600 — 1663.  John  Christopher  Count    de    Kcenigsmark,    a 

Swedish  General      ........  572 

1614 — 1662.  The  Archduke  Leopold  William,  Imperial  Com- 
mander    575 

—  1645.  Franz  von  Mercy,  a  Bavarian  General         .         .  579 

1600—1650.  List  of  Battles 585 

1607 — 1648.  Consecpiences  of  the  Revolt  of  the  Netherlands, 

and  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War 587 


ERRATA. 


P.  27, /or  cowering  read  towering. 

—  32,  for  him  read  the  Archduke, /or  he  read  the  Imperial  General. 

—  45,  for  Tillary  read  Tilbury. 

—  66.  68.  78.  114.  222,  for  Kriegs-Kunst-Lexikon  read  Militair-Conversations- 

Lexikon. 

—  122,  for  Danamond  read  Dunamond. 

—  123,  for  Charrasse  read  Charnace. 

—  184,  for   100,000  infantry  and  40,000  cavalry  read  40,000  infantry  and  10,000 

cavalry. 

—  193,  for  the  Queen  read  the  Klectress. 


PKEFACE. 


It  has  long-  been  my  settled  persuasion,  that  at 
a  period  when  active  duty  cannot  be  experienced  by 
the  war-professions,  the  injunction  of  our  great  Duke 
to  young  officers,  "  that  they  should  go  and  see  service 
in  the  field/'  is  best  obeyed  by  a  study  of  the  past ; 
and  that  the  histories  of  wars  and  warriors  are  the 
best  and  only  available  substitute  for  active  military 
service  in  the  field.  But  unhappily  wars  and  warriors 
are  as  old  as  seas  and  mountains,  and  it  becomes  some- 
what difficult  to  determine  within  what  limits  of  the 
world's  history  we  are  to  confine  our  study  of  strategy 
and  tactics.  In  the  earlier  stages  of  strife,  before 
science  of  any  kind  could  have  been  engrafted  upon  it, 
bodily  prowess  must  have  been  of  course  the  one  thing 
needful;  but  we  see  from  our  every-day's  experience 
of  savage  war,  how  early  barbarian  cunning  and  sub- 
tlety leads  up  to  military  skill,  so  that  war  in  its 
fundamental  principles  is  of  very   remote  antiquity. 


VI  u  PREFACE. 

Yet,  nevertheless,  no  art  was  ever  devised  that  has 
Bhowed  so  many  phases  for  our  study,  so  that  it  lias 
been  somewhat  the  fashion  of  late  years  to  recur  even 
to  the  prowess  of  such  ancient  conquerors  as  Belisarius, 
Hannibal,  and  Caesar :  yet  (under  favour  of  high  Imperial 
authority)  I  venture  to  assert  that  there  is  very  little  in- 
struction to  be  gathered  from,  what  may  be  termed,  the 
a  rchaeology  of  soldiering-.  We  must  descend  to  the  more 
similar  experience  of  later  times  if  we  would  be  prac- 
tical, nor  can  we  even  be  stopped  by  the  gay  banners 
and  pennons  of  mailed  knights  and  barons  with  their 
jovial  bands  of  retainers  and  their  brave  and  dashing 
enterprise,  if  we  would  obtain  examples  of  what  may 
be  rendered  useful  in  modern  warfare. 

There  are,  however,  many  things  in  books  that 
officers  ought  to  know,  and  which  they  would  gladly 
know,  and  which  they  only  do  not  know  because  lew- 
have  given  themselves  the  trouble  to  cater  for  their 
information.  I  say  this  specially  in  regard  to  our 
own  country,  in  the  literature  of  which  the  military 
element  is  very  sparse,  and  is  neither  encouraged  nor 
rewarded.  The  soldier-class  more  than  any  other 
requires  to  be  taught,  because  they  are  precluded  from 
the  opportunity  of  searching  out  things  for  them- 
selves ;  nor  have  they  the  leisure  nor  the  quiet  neces- 
sary to  make  voluminous  researches  by  any  exertions 
of  their  own.  Eveiy  other  class — the  country  gentle- 
man, the  parson,  the  lawyer,  nay  even  the  sailor — can 
collect  libraries  and  read  books  at  their  leisure  in  com- 


PREFACE.  IX 

fortable  sedillas  with  all  the  facilities  of  annotation 
and  comparison ;  but  the  soldier  has  neither  the 
means  of  carrying"  libraries  about  with  him,  nor  does 
he  possess  convenient  arrangements  for  study  of  any 
kind.  His  pocket  must  hold  his  circulating-  library,  and 
the  bare  ground  must  be  his  reading-desk,  or  he  must 
literally  "  read  as  he  runs,"  if  he  desires  to  read  at  all l. 
Beyond  the  unattractive  barrack-room  he  can  command 
no  retirement  in  which  to  consult  books  of  reference,  if 
he  can  get  them,  or  in  which  he  might  digest  deeply- 
reasoned  intelligence.  Above  all  other  professions  he 
requires  to  be  mentally  fed  by  popular  instruction,  or 
what  may  be  termed  compressed  knowledge — articles 
in  reviews  or  pamphlets,  books  in  short  sections  or 
chapters,  which  admit  of  easy  breaks  and  resting-places, 
should  the  bugle  or  the  drum  disturb  the  current  of  his 
study,  and  summon  him  from  his  books  to  his  duties. 
It  is  a  desire  to  meet  this  characteristic  of  the  mili- 
tary service  that  has  converted  me  in  the  decline  of  life 
into  an  Author.  Like  my  "Annals  of  the  Wars," 
the  "Lives  of  the  Warriors"  is  intended  to  place 
before  the  soldier  the  great  theatre  of  the  wars  of  the 
past,  which  presents  a  busy  and  a  brilliant  stage  on 
which  actors  of  great  name  and  celebrity  (veritable 
"  stars  ")  have  "  fretted  their  hour."  I  desire  also  to 
introduce  him  into  the  green-room,  where  we  may 

1  For  this  cause  I  have  arranged  that  several  volumes  of  this  pub- 
lication should  be  divided  into  two  parts,  and  bound  up,  each  com- 
pletely separate  in  a  limp  binding,  as  a  soldier's  copy. 


x  PREFACE. 

hoar  somewhat  of  their  "  saying's  and  doings."  These 
biographies  are  not  intended  to  note  the  mere  existenee 
of  warriors  <>i'  ancient  times,  with  the  dates  of  their 
births,  marriages,  and  deaths,  but,  somewhat  after  the 
manner  of  Plutarch,  I  would  collect  together  every 
incident  on  record  that  ma}'  illustrate  the  character 
and  the  services  of  each,  while  their  careers  are  inter- 
twined with  the  Annals  of  the  Wars  in  which  they 
bore  a  conspicuous  part.  We  shall  see  that  the  repu- 
tation obtained  is  often  very  superior  to  the  actions 
performed,  and  that  many  were  not  altogether  the 
demigods  they  have  been  thought  to  be,  according 
to  the  old  proverb  of  the  hero  and  his  valet  de 
chambre.  When  the  puppet  has  doffed  his  stage 
robes,  he  often  becomes  an  idol  of  brass  and  clay  of 
very  small  dimensions.  I  think  we  shall  also  find, 
that  in  the  early  portion  of  the  seventeenth  century 
the  pretensions  of  the  French  to  have  been  the  great 
teachers  of  modern  warfare  are  not  quite  made  out; 
that  it  was  the  nations  of  the  hardy  North,  who  by 
their  extraordinary  powers  of  personal  endurance, 
energy,  and  activity,  supplanted  the  pompous  and 
cumbersome  tactics  of  the  Spaniard,  who  up  to  the 
close  of  the  previous  century  had  been  regarded  as  the 
Warrior  of  Europe ;  that  Maurice  of  Nassau,  Spinola, 
Mansfeld,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  Torstenson  first 
introduced  regular  discipline,  order,  and  simplicity 
into  the  movements  of  armies,  and  first  set  fatigue 
and  climate  at  nought.     Doubtless  in  the  later  portion 


PREFACE.  XI 

of  the  same  century  the  French  improved  the  sciences 
of  fortification,  artillery,  and  strategy;  but  perhaps 
the  greater  amendments  in  arms  and  dress  were  as 
much  the  work  of  one  nation  as  of  another. 

Nearly  one-third  of  the  biographies  here  recorded 
are  not  to  be  found  in  any  English  Biographical 
Dictionary  or  Encyclopedia.  Some  are  not  even 
introduced  in  that  most  valuable  and  wonderful 
repertory,  La  Biographie  Universelle ;  and  one  or 
two  have  even  escaped  the  industrial  research  of  the 
Militair-Conversations-Lexikon.  But  all  Swedish 
histories  record  with  a  just  pride  the  prowess  of  their 
arms  in  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  and  dwell  upon  the 
great  deeds  of  their  warriors  with  very  pardonable 
admiration.  The  names  of  Baner,  Horn,  Wrangel, 
and  Kniphausen,  are  probably  quite  unknown  to  even 
a  double-first  at  our  Universities,  but  deserve  never- 
theless to  be  introduced  to  every  military  student; 
and  the  school  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  is  more  deserving 
of  study  at  our  Staff  College  than  that  of  any  warrior- 
class  that  has  preceded  or  followed  it. 

I  have  been  somewhat  severely  criticized  for  what 
has  been  regarded  as  carelessness  in  my  former  history 
in  the  correct  orthography  of  names  and  places.  At 
the  same  time  that  I  do  not  admit  the  charge,  I  think 
I  am  entitled  to  plead  that  a  work  dealing  so  exten- 
sively in  geographical  and  personal  details  has  a  just 
claim  to  much  indulgence  and  great  mercy.  Brother- 
authors  must  know  how  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  it 


XII  PREFACE. 

is  to  avoid  errors  of  the  kind,  from  ;i  slip  of  the  pen, 
from  oversight,  and  from  the  post-dated  blunders  of 
the  printer.  1  have  been  always  exceedingly  desirous 
to  obtain  correctness  in  this  matter,  and  have  employed 
men  of  ability  in  that  particular  department  as  editors 
for  the  very  purpose.  But  it  is  not  very  easy  to  de- 
termine the  correct  spelling-  of  the  names  of  towns  that 
are  very  often  different  even  in  different  maps  of  the 
same  language.  The  eight  spelling-,  moreover,  very  often 
depends  on  this — whether  you  consult  English,  French, 
or  German  Gazetteers.  I  charg-e  the  French  with  being- 
the  great  sinners  in  the  orthography  of  names,  and 
with  having  been  the  tempters  that  have  led  us  wrong- 
for  so  many  years ;  and  it  is  now  almost  vain  ever 
to  hope  to  get  right.  For  any  individual  writer  to 
attempt  to  make  a  complete  reform  would  expose  him  to 
a  severer  criticism  and  charge  of  pedantry ;  and  every 
one  may  remember  a  modern  edition  of  the  Arabian 
Nights,  wherein  those  friends  of  our  youth  are  intro- 
duced in  correct  oriental  costume,  very  greatly  to  the 
confusion  of  the  European  reader.  What  now  are  we 
to  write  in  the  battle-fields  of  Europe  ?  Wien  or  Vienna, 
Firenze  or  Florence,  Aachen  or  Aix-la-Chapelle, 
S'G  raven  Hage  or  the  Hague,  Herzogenbusch  or 
Bois-le-Duc  or  Bolduc,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum  ?  In 
reply  to  my  critics  I  may  perhaps  be  permitted  to  add, 
what  I  should  not  have  done  from  any  desire  of  vain 
boasting,  that  I  happen  to  have  made  the  acquaintance 
of  a  German  gentleman  who  is  excecding-ly  well  read 


PREFACE.  Xlll 


in  military  history,  and  whose  home  is  amid  the  battle- 
fields  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube,  who  told  me  that  he 
had  read  many  of  my  volumes,  and  he  had  the  kindness 
to  volunteer  the  remark  that  I  was  one  of  the  very  few 
foreigners,  English  or  French,  who  had  taken  some 
trouble  to  spell  the  names  of  places  and  persons  of  his 
country  with  perfect  correctness ;  and  on  my  adding 
that  it  would  be  doing  me  a  great  service  if  he  would 
kindly  point  out  to  me  any  casual  errors,  as  I  was  ex- 
ceedingly desirous  to  merit  such  a  commendation,  he 
replied,  "  I  cannot  recall  a  single  name  spelt  wrong." 
There  has  been  indeed  a  great  deal  more  research 
requisite  than  might  have  been  anticipated  to  bring 
the  history  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War  before  the 
English  reader.  I  am  not  aware  of  any  ample 
biographies  of  the  renowned  Captains  included  in 
this  volume  that  exist  either  in  the  English  or 
French  language.  Harte's  Life  of  Gustavus  Adol- 
phus,  Mitchell's  Life  of  Wallenstein,  and  De  Peyster's 
Life  of  Torstenson,  are  all  that  have  been  open  to  me 
in  our  own  language,  beyond  the  very  cursory  notices 
of  the  war  in  Russell  and  Coxe's  histories ;  for  Schiller, 
although  he  has  been  admirably  translated,  is  pro- 
verbially meagre  in  all  military  details.  The  history 
of  France  has  not,  as  far  as  I  know,  done  more  for  the 
great  Swedish  heroes  of  the  period  than  name  them  in 
so  far  merely  as  they  are  connected  with  French  events. 
Sporschil's  and  Becher's  histories  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War,  and  Menzel's  history  of  Germany,  take  up  the 


XIV  PREFACE. 

Gorman  side  of  the  question,  and  Lundblad'e  "  Swedish 
Plutarch/'  and  Puffendorfs  "  Schwedisch  Kricgs- 
geschichte/'  with  the  ordinary  histories  of  Sweden, 
adopt  the  opposite  side.  The  "  Tlieatrnm  Europamm, 
1662,"  affords  the  best  details  of  the  battles,  and  there 
are  several  works  in  Dnteh  which  relate  to  the  wars  of 
the  Netherlands.  Many  of  these  volumes  being"  in 
languages  not  universally  understood,  are  inaccessible 
to  the  ordinary  English  reader.  Under  these  circum- 
stances there  is  ample  room  and  verge  enough  for  any 
military  writer  to  follow  in  the  same  track  by  which  I 
have  travelled ;  and  there  is  an  imposing  grandeur  in 
the  history  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War  which  would  be 
a  rich  field  for  such  men  as  Motley  and  Froude  to 
illustrate  with  their  researches.  I  sincerely  wish  these 
most  interesting  historians,  who  just  stop  on  the 
threshold  of  the  great  politics  of  the  seventeentli 
century,  may  be  tempted  to  overstep  their  present 
boundaries,  and  thus  make  up  the  deficiency  which  I 
have  so  unworthily  attempted  in  the  mean  while  to 
occupy. 

Leasowe  Castle, 
March,  1865. 


LIVES  OF  THE  WAERIOBS. 


THIETY  YEAES'  WAR. 
PART  I. 


CONTENTS 


OF 


PART   I. 


MAURICE   OF   NASSAU        .       NETHERLANDISH.  GENERAL. 

MARQUIS   DE    SPTNOLA      ....      SPANISH  GENERAL. 

COUNT   MANSFELD GERMAN  GENERAL. 

TZERCLAES,  COUNT  YON") 


.    i 


IMPERIALIST  GENERAL. 


TILLY       .       . 

GUSTAYUS  ADOLPHUS  ....  KING  OF  SWEDEN. 
GODFREY  YON  PAPPENHEIM  .  .  IMPERIALIST  GENERAL. 
ALBRECHT  YON  WALDSTEIN  .     .   IMPERIALIST  GENERAL. 


WARRIORS 


OF    THE 


SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Somewhat  precedent  in  point  of  time  to  the  opening  Revolt  of 
of  the  century  and  the  breaking  out  of  the  Thirty  f2€'ther" 
Years'  War  must  be  named  the  Eevolt  of  the  Nether- 
lands ;  for  the  spirit  that  produced  both  outbreaks 
was  identical,  and  the  events  that  grew  out  of  them 
have  rendered  the  Seventeenth  Century  one  of  the 
brightest  epochs  of  the  world's  history  in  the  cause  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty. 

It  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that,  from  the 
days  of  the  Romans,  the  Batavians  and  Belgians, 
although  both  were  men  of  the  Netherlands,  were 
a  different  people.  The  latter,  who  came  to  be  called 
Flemish,  were  much  more  advanced  in  civilization 
than  the  former,  who  are  distinguished  as  Dutch. 
These  last  were  at  this  early  period  the  least  heroic 
population  in  Europe — a  peaceful  tribe  of  fishermen 
and  shepherds ;  they  occupied  an  obscure  corner  of  the 
world, which  with  incredible  industry, resolution,  and  per- 
severance, they  had  reclaimed  from  the  ocean.  Though 
little  noticed  by  the  rest  of  Europe,  and  removed  from 
its  dissensions,  they  had,  notwithstanding  their  obscu- 

B 


I 


[KTBODTJCTIOF. 

rity,  advanced  fco  the  condition  of  a  prosperous  trading 
community,  and  revelled  in  the  ease  and  luxuries  that 
attend  thriving  industry:  hut  as  long  as  they  were 
left  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  this  humble  happiness 
they  ap] .cared  neither  ambitious,  nor  even  capable,  of 
giving  trouhle  to  those  who  governed  them.  They 
formed  part  of  the  vast  dominions  of  Charles  V.,  whose 
paternal  spirit  was  very  much  limited  to  the  task  of 
keeping  his  subjects  free  from  heresy,  or,  in  other 
words,  he  very  amiably  desired  to  place  a  padlock  upon 
the  minds  of  his  people,  and  in  the  plenitude  of 
Imperial  power  to  think  for  them,  in  order  to  spare 
them  the  trouhle  of  saving  their  own  souls  by  an 
implicit  following  of  his  autocratic  injunctions.  But 
these  simple  merchantmen  were  just  in  this  very  particu- 
lar accessible  to  insult  and  offence  ;  they  had  already  far 
outstripped  the  narrow-minded  monarch  in  the  views 
of  spiritual  truth,  the  gladdening  dawn  of  which  had 
lately  broken  over  Europe,  and  had  penetrated  with 
its  enlightening  beams  even  to  this  almost  forgotten 
corner  of  the  Emperor's  dominions.  A  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence is  wont  to  accompany  commercial  enterprise ; 
and  a  people  of  but  few  wants  were  irritated  at  heing 
interfered  with  in  the  possession  of  that  which  "  did  not 
enrich  him,  but  made  them  poor  indeed."  They  dared  to 
jeopardize  their  prosperity  and  abundance,  in  defence  of 
the  faith  of  their  hearts,  and  did  not  conceal  their  desire 
to  burst  the  ignominious  chain  of  Church  opinions  which 
it  was  the  Sovereign's  pleasure  to  impose  upon  them, 
and  which  they  already  regarded  as  antiquated  and 
unsound.  These  hardy  men  resolved  to  think  on  such 
transcendently  important  matters  for  themselves  ;  and 
when  they  found  the  iron  rod  of  despotism  threatening 
to  curb  their  aspirations,  and  to  intrude  itself  into 
their  homes,  they  were  driven  to  form  secret  societies 
amongst  themselves,  in  which  they  might  pursue  their 
free  thoughts,  and  protect  their  families  from  the 
interference  of  the  priesthood.    Many  French  Calvinists 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

had  at  this  time  found  their  way  into  the  villages  of 
Holland,  introducing  a  bold  scepticism  on  old  Church 
dogmas,  that  suited  these  rising  aspirations ;  and 
Anabaptists  and  Memnonites  out  of  Switzerland  also 
spread  new,  and  as  yet  strange,  doctrines  of  self- 
government,  which  opened  fresh  veins  of  thought,  that 
were  received  with  avidity  by  the  people.  The  com- 
plaint had  in  a  marvellously  short  time  become  an 
ulcerous  sore  in  the  State,  and  required  prudence  and 
a  lenient  treatment,  just  when  their  king,  Philip  II., 
who  was  a  practitioner  of  a  rougher  order,  ascended  the 
throne  of  Spain,  and  sent  the  Hollanders  a  governor 
whose  very  first  steps  maddened  them,  and  caused  an 
eruption  of  discontent  and  rebellion  that  transformed  a 
harmless,  moral,  commercial  tribe  into  a  race  of  heroes 
and  demigods  in  the  march  of  freedom. 

It  was  the  special  commission  of  the  Duke  of  Alva 
to  exterminate  heresy  by  any  and  every  means,  and 
forthwith  torrents  of  blood,  noble  as  well  as  simple, 
flowed  under  the  bitterness  of  his  persecution.  The 
character  of  the  King  was  already  known  before  the 
arrival  of  this  governor  in  1566,  who  had  indeed  been 
preceded  by  other  governors  of  the  same  stamp  ;  and  the 
people  had  been  also  visited  by  the  dreadful  Spanish  In- 
quisition in  the  days  of  Charles  V.,  as  far  back  as  1522, 
and  by  the  ministry  of  Cardinal  Granvella.  Accordingly, 
the  most  spirited  of  the  nobles  of  the  land  had  already 
taken  the  lead  in  asserting  the  independence  of  the 
Netherlands  by  an  open  association  and  remonstrance. 
Among  them  was  found  the  celebrated  name  of  William, 
the  first  Prince  of  Orange,  with  the  Counts  Egmont  aiul 
Hoorn,  names  of  sufficient  notoriety,  whose  history  will 
readily  be  recalled  to  mind ;  but  nevertheless  a  short 
biographical  notice  of  these  eminent  martyrs  may  be 
interesting,  as  the  lives  of  the  warriors  of  this  period 
are  intimately  connected  with  the  history  of  the  pre- 
ceding century. 

William,  the  first  Prince  of  Orange,  surnamed  "  the  Qrance 

B  2 


I  NTE0D1ICTI0X. 

Silent,"  was  descended  from  the  princely  German  house 
of  Nassau,  which  had  in  former  times  given  an 
Emperor  to  Germany,  and  had  for  eight  centuries 
disputed  the  pre-eminence  with  Austria.  His  father, 
the  sovereign  Count  of  Nassau,  had  married  a  Countess 
Stolberg,  and  had  embraced  the  Protestant  religion,  so 
that  the  son,  born  in  1533,  had  been  educated  in  it. 
Yet  William  was  sent  quite  young  to  the  Imperial 
court,  where  he  won  the  personal  attachment  of 
the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  who  honoured  him  with  a 
confidence  very  far  beyond  his  years,  for  he  is  said  to 
have  placed  him  very  near  his  person,  and  even  per- 
mitted him  to  remain  in  the  closet  royal  when  the 
sovereign  gave  audience  to  foreign  ambassadors. 
Indeed  the  Emperor,  with  unwonted  candour,  had  made 
the  open  confession,  that  the  young  man  had  often 
made  suggestions  which  would  have  escaped  his  own 
sagacity.  The  Prince  of  Orange  was  only  twenty- 
three  years  of  age  when  Charles  abdicated  the  govern- 
ment ;  but  so  largely  had  the  Imperial  favour  con- 
tinued to  be  extended  to  him  to  the  last,  that  he 
was  entrusted  with  the  honourable  charge  of  conveying 
to  Ferdinand  the  Imperial  crowm,  and  was  nominated 
by  the  retiring  sovereign  to  the  command  in  chief  of 
the  Imperial  army  in  the  Netherlands. 

This  is  the  character  that  Schiller  gives  of  this 
highly  favoured  tyro,  thus  prematurely  placed  in  a 
post  of  responsibility : — "William  of  Orange  was  one 
of  those  lean  and  pale  men,  who  according  to  Caasar 
'  sleep  not  at  nights,  and  think  too  much,'  and  before 
whom  many  spirits  quaiL  The  calm  tranquillity  of  a 
never-varying  countenance  concealed  a  busy,  ardent 
soid,  which  never  ruffled  even  the  veil  behind  which  it 
worked ;  and  was  alike  inaccessible  to  artifice  and  to 
love :  a  versatile,  formidable,  indefatigable  mind,  soft 
and  ductile  enough  to  be  instantaneously  moulded 
into  all  forms,  guarded  enough  to  lose  itself  in  none, 
and    strong    enough    to    endure    every   vicissitude    of 


INTRODUCTION.  £ 

fortune.  A  greater  master  in  reading  and  in  winning 
men's  hearts  never  existed  than  William." 

A  man  like  this  might  at  other  times  have  remained 
unfathomed  hy  his  whole  generation ;  but  the  marked 
favour  which  the  Prince  had  enjoyed  with  the  father 
was  in  itself  a  sufficient  ground  to  be  marked  for  exclu- 
sion from  the  confidence  of  his  son  ;  and  Philip  II.  saw 
quickly  and  deeply  into  his  character,  and  perceived  that 
he  would  have  to  deal  with  one  who  was  armed  against 
his  own  policy,  and  who,  uniting  against  him  the  qualities 
which  he  prized  highest,  excited  his  suspicion  and  dis- 
trust ;  so  that  he  hated  the  man  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
have  a  supernatural  dread  of  him,  and  the  aversion  was 
naturally  reciprocated  by  the  young  Prince.  This  was 
immeasurably  increased  in  Philip's  mind  by  the  doubts 
he  entertained  of  William's  religion; — doubts  which  the 
former  would  naturally  feel,  for  the  Prince  of  Orange 
had  in  the  Emperor's  court  affected  the  Romish  Church, 
though  he  had  been  educated  a  Protestant,  but  had  been 
already,  in  the  course  of  his  career,  Eoman,  Lutheran, 
and  Calvinist.  The  Prince  indeed  defended  the  liber- 
ties of  the  Protestants  rather  than  their  opinions  ;  and 
it  was  not  their  faith,  but  their  wrongs,  that  drove  him 
in  the  end  to  stake  every  thing  for  their  cause. 

Accident,  indeed,  that  makes  most  men  great,  pro- 
duced the  changes  that  elevated  William  of  Orange  to  be 
a  great  leader  of  the  Protestants.  He  had  borne  a  part 
in  the  negotiations  that  led  to  the  peace  of  Cateau 
Cambresis ;  and  was  accordingly  required  to  remain  in 
France  as  hostage  for  the  fulfilment  of  its  conditions. 
Here,  through  the  imprudence  of  the  French  king, 
Henry  II.,  who  imagined  he  spoke  with  a  confidant  of 
the  king  of  Spain,  the  prince  became  acquainted  with 
the  secret  plot  which  had  been  formed  by  both  courts 
for  the  suppression  of  Protestant  liberty,  and  he  hastened 
to  Brussels  to  communicate  the  important  discovery  to 
the  nobles  of  the  Netherlands. 

Among  the  greatest  of  these  was  Lamoral,   Count  mon^ 


()  ivntoDicnov 

Egmont,  whose  lineage  was  do  Less  noble  than  that  of 
William.  1  Le  was  a  descendant  of  those  dukes  of 
Gueldres  who  had  been  likewise  formidable  antagonists 
of  the  house  of  Austria.  One  of  his  ancestors  had, 
under  llir  Emperor  Maximilian,  held  the  high  office  of 
Stadtholder  of  the  how  Countries.  He  himself  had 
served  under  C'harli's  V.  in  the  battle-fields  of  St. 
Quintin  and  G-ravelines  ;  and  lie  had  received  the  order 
of  the  Golden  Fleece  from  his  sovereign,  under  whose 
eyes  he  had  risen  to  be  considered  one  of  the  heroes  of 
his  age.  lie  was  married  to  a  princess  of  the  ducal 
house  of  Bavaria,  which  added  considerably  to  his  per- 
sonal consequence ;  so  that,  from  his  high  lineage  and 
military  honour,  Flemish  pride  exulted  in  Egmont  as  the 
most  illustrious  son  of  their  country.  He  united,  indeed, 
all  the  eminent  qualities  that  confer  greatness.  He  was 
a  better  soldier  than  the  Prince  of  Orange,  although  he 
was  in  truth  far  inferior  to  him  as  a  statesman ;  and  a 
noble  and  courteous  demeanour,  both  liberal,  bountiful, 
and  chivalrous,  graced  his  merits.  But  his  frankhearted- 
ness,  that  made  him  popular,  managed  the  secrets  of  his 
breast  no  better  than  his  benevolence  did  his  estate,  and, 
while  reckless  of  his  property  and  ready  to  do  any  man 
a  service,  a  thought  no  sooner  entered  his  heart  than  it 
was  the  property  of  all.  His  religion  was  gentle  and 
humane,  but  not  very  enlightened,  because  it  derived  its 
light  from  the  heart  rather  than  from  the  understanding. 
With  such  a  character  as  this  we  find  Egmont  described 
in  the  pages  of  Schiller, — "  a  vain  good  man,  satisfied 
with  himself,  and  sauntering  on  in  a  sweet  reverie  as  in 
a  delightful  world  of  dreams." 
Count  <pne  Prince  0f  Orange  and  the  Count  Egmont  were 

both  governors  of  provinces,  and  also  members  of  the 
state  council.  Philip  do  Montmorency-Nivelle,  Count 
Hoorn,  was  of  a  lower  class  of  nobility,  although  he  had 
been  made  knight  of  the  Golden  Fleece  and  governor  of 
a  province,  he  had  been,  moreover,  recently  named 
admiral  of  the  Belgian  navy.     This  nobleman  was  bhi 


INTRODUCTION.  / 

great-grandson  of  that  John  deNivelle  who  had  sacrificed 
a  birthright  in  France  out  of  devotion  to  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy,  leaving  his  paternal  inheritance  to  pass  to  a 
brother,  who  was  father  of  the  celebrated  Anne  de 
Montmorency,  Constable  of  France.  His  mother  was 
of  the  family  of  Egmont,  who  had  been  twice  married, 
first  to  M.  de  Nivelle,  the  father  of  the  Count,  who 
had  died  in  1530,  and  secondly  to  the  Count  de  Hoorn, 
who,  having  no  children,  left  his  vast  estates  to  the 
issue  of  his  former  marriage,  on  the  condition  of  their 
adopting  the  name  of  Hoorn.  Philip  was  the  eldest  son 
of  the  first  marriage,  and,  by  succeeding  to  the  inherit- 
ance of  both  the  husbands  of  his  mother,  became  one 
of  the  richest  gentlemen  of  the  Netherlands.  He  had 
distinguished  himself,  like  his  kinsman  D'Egmont,  both 
at  St.  Quintin  and  Gravelines,  and  had  united  himself 
with  him  in  a  friendship  that  dated  from  a  long  com- 
radeship, sharing  in  the  same  opinions  both  of  politics 
and  religion.  He  associated  with  the  Prince  of  Orange 
and  Egmont  in  the  many  meetings  and  conferences  that 
were  held  on  the  subject  of  a  resistance  to  the  arbitrary 
conduct  of  Philip ;  and  the  Duke  of  Alva  soon  perceived 
how  much  the  influence  of  such  men  as  these  endangered 
his  policy. 

These  three  leaders  of  the  great  Protestant  party  of  Krederodc 
the  Low  Countries  were  associated  with  many  of  the  am 
great  families  of  the  province, — such  as  Henry  of  Bre- 
derode  (descended  from  the  old  Dutch  Counts  who 
formerly  ruled  as  sovereign  princes),  and  the  Counts  of 
Kinlenburg,  Bergen,  and  of  Batterburg,  together  with 
John  Philip  de  Marnix,  the  Baron  de  Aldegonde,  &c. 
These  men  set  their  hands  to  a  solemn  declaration  of 
right,  and  had  secretly  acted  together  against  the  go- 
vernment. They  were  assembled  for  the  last  time  to- 
gether at  Villebronk  in  1565,  when  William  urgently 
counselled  immediate,  open,  and  resolute  opposition  to 
their  intolerant  sovereign.  It  was,  as  will  be  seen, 
rather  the  character  of  Egmont  to  recommend  patience 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

and  temporizing  measures;  but  the  Prince  of  Orange 
showed  by  the  letters  he  held  in  his  hand,  derived,  as 
we  have  seen  above,  from  reliable  authority,  that  their 
drst ruction  was  resolved  upon,  and  stated  that  he  was 
resolved  to  take  immediate  steps  for  his  own  preserva- 
tion, and  to  abandon  every  thing  he  possessed  in  the 
Netherlands  rather  than  trust  to  any  supposed  cle- 
mency of  the  tyrant  king,  or  his  ruthless  lieutenant. 
"Adieu  done,"  said  Egmont,  "prince  sans  terres!" 
"Adieu,"  retorted  William,  "  comte  sans  tete  !" 
Words  of  solemn  warning,  and,  as  it  proved,  of  melan- 
choly presage  l. 

After  William  of  Orange  had  openly  seceded,  Alva 
caused  the  other  two  to  be  arrested  and  thrown  into 
prison  at  Ghent  on  the  10th  September,  1567 ;  and  after 
a  short  process  they  were  both  removed  to  Brussels,  and 
executed  on  the  4th  June,  1568,  in  spite  of  the  most 
powerful  exertions  to  save  them.  Egmont  left  children  j 
but  Count  Hoorn  having  no  child  by  his  wife,  the  large 
estates  of  Nivelle  and  Hoorn  descended  to  his  brother 
Floris,  who  had  also  served  with  distinction  in  the  wars 
of  Charles  V.,  and  who  also  ended  his  life  on  the  block 
at  Simancas  in  Spain  by  order  of  Philip  II. 
The  Nassau  As  soon  as  Alva  heard  of  the  Prince  of  Orange's 
111111  y*  defection  and  flight,  he  ordered  the  tribunal  of  nobles 
to  cite  his  attendance  formally  ;  and,  on  his  replying  to 
the  citation  by  a  refusal  to  attend  in  a  public  manifesto, 
he  was  proscribed,  and  all  his  goods  were  confiscated. 
His  son  Philip,  who  was  a  student  in  the  University  of 
Louvain,  was  seized  in  his  tutor's  house,  and  sent  away 
to  Spain,  where  he  remained  a  prisoner  many  years.  The 
whole  family  of  Nassau  sided  with  their  agnate  and 
adopted  the  cause  of  liberty,  and  took  the  field  with 

1  These  noblemen  were  so  beloved  and  so  respected  by  the 
people  that  it  was  thought  the  Spanish  governor  would  not  dare 
to  proceed  against  them;  but  Alva  is  reported  to  have  said. 
"  Les  tetes  dc  qnelques  saumons  lui  parurent  preferables  a  celles 
d'un  millier  de  grenouilles." 


INTRODUCTION. 


9 


William2.  The  wife  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  a 
daughter  of  the  famous  Maurice  of  Saxony,  was  left 
at  the  family  castle  of  Dillenbourg,where  she  gave 
birth  to  a  son,  Maurice  of  Nassau,  to  whose  career  it  will 
be  our  intention  to  advert.  After  some  unimportant 
manoeuvring  in  the  field,  William,  with  his  five  bro- 
thers and  many  of  the  Protestant  princes  of  Germany, 
encountered  the  Spanish  troops  at  Heiligensee  in  1568, 
and  gained  his  first  victory  ;  but  the  Spaniards  were  vic- 
torious against  him  at  Groningen,  where  Louis  of  Nassau 
only  escaped  by  swimming  the  river.  William,  how- 
ever, was  thenceforward  joined  by  many  chiefs  of  note, 
and  amongst  others  by  William  Von  der  Mark,  Count 
de  Lunay,  a  descendant  of  the  famous  Boar  of 
Ardennes,  who  had  vowed  neither  to  cut  his  beard,  nor 
even  to  comb  it,  until  he  had  revenged  the  blood  of  his 
friend  D'Egmont ;  this  man  was  the  first  to  enter- 
prise an  attack  by  sea  against  the  Spanish  naval 
power  at  the  head  of  some  enterprising  men,  who 
became  a  special  mark  of  the  times,  and  who  took  the 
name  of  Gueux  Marins,  or  Sea  Mendicants. 

No  narrative  of  the  Wars  of  the  Seventeenth  Century  Les  Gueux. 
would  be  complete  without  a  short  account  of  these 
Gueux,  who  gave  a  party  name  to  those  who  seceded 
from  Popery  and  took  up  arms  against  Spain.  The  story 
is  this  :  Brederode,  with  the  other  leaders,  had  been  per- 
mitted to  present  a  petition  of  grievances  to  Margaret 
Duchess  of  Parma,  Regent  of  the  Netherlands;  but  some 
of  those  who  attended  happened  to  overhear  the  Count 
de  Barliamont,  the  Regent's  chamberlain,  whisper  to 
Her  Highness  in  French,  "  that  these  petitioners  were 
but  a  band  of  Beggars  (des  Gueux)."  Brederode 
afterwards  related  this  anecdote  at  a  banquet  in  which 
the  patriots  were  assembled,  and  the  guests,  already 
perhaps  excited  with  wine,  caught  up  the  expression, 

2  Four  of  these  noble-spirited  brothers  of  the  house  of  Nassau 
shed  their  blood  in  the  cause ;  Adolf,  Louis,  and  Henry  in  the 
field,  and  William  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin. 


10  DTTR0DTJCT10K 

and  immediately  stood  up  and  drank  to  one  another, 
exclaiming  in  chorus  "  Vivent  les  Gueux."  When  the 
excitement  was  at  its  height  Brederode  appeared 
anions  them,  with  a  wallet  over  his  shoulder,  similar  to 
those  wliieli  the  vagrant  pilgrims  and  mendicant  monks 
of  the  time  were  accustomed  td  carry  ahout  with  them. 
He  also  carried  in  his  hand  a  wooden  beaker,  and, 
repeating  the  toast,  drank  to  all  their  healths,  boldly 
assuring  them  that  he  was  ready  to  venture  life  and 
limb  in  the  cause.  The  enthusiasm  was  forthwith 
lighted  up  afresh,  the  cup  went  round,  every  one 
uttering  the  same  vow.  From  thenceforth  each  one 
provided  himself  with  a  wallet,  which  became  the 
symbol  of  party,  and  in  a  few  days  the  capital  swarmed 
with  the  ash-grey  garments  of  mendicancy  :  the  whole 
paraphernalia  of  the  tribe  being  fixed  about  the  hats, 
or  suspended  from  the  girdles  of  the  conspirators. 
The  very  thing  long  wanted  by  the  patriotic  brother- 
hood was  a  name,  and  that  of  Les  Gueux  was  at  once 
every  where  adopted. 

We  see  that  William  of  Mark  called  the  adventurers 
who  followed  him  afloat  by  the  name  of  Gueux 
Marins.  These  men  (who  would  have  been  pirates, 
but  that  they  banded  for  a  disinterested  and  public 
object)  having  no  port  of  their  own  in  which  to 
harbour,  and  being  shut  out  from  those  of  England, 
boldly  resolved  to  take  possession  of  one  for  them- 
selves, and  in  1572  made  themselves  masters  of  Bribe 
on  the  coast  of  Holland.  From  thence  Les  Gueux 
Marins  ran  in  and  out  in  safety,  and,  at  first  seizing 
only  small  traders,  they  at  length  defied  the  royal 
squadrons  of  Spain,  and  were  successful  against  their 
ships  of  war.  They  formed  in  truth  the  cradle  in 
which  the  renowned  Dutch  navy  were  nursed  in 
their  Tromps,  De  Kuyters,  and  De  Winters.  The 
love  of  liberty,  or  the  resistance  against  oppression, 
had  already  transformed  into  heroes  men  who  by 
nature    were     little     accustomed     to    bear    arms,    and 


11 


ISTllODVCTWy. 

who  from  habit  were  averse  to  war ;  vet  Les  Gueux 
prospered  and  dispersed  themselves,  spreading  every- 
where the  contagion  of  rebellion.  The  Protestants  saw 
a  colourable  pretext  for  insurrection  in  the  arbitrary- 
proceedings  of  their  government  ;  and  it  was  soon 
evident  that  all  return  to  submission  had  become  im- 
possible. In  fact,  a  continuance  in  revolt  was  rendered 
every  day  more  necessaiy  from  the  excitement  of 
resistance  as  well  as  from  despair.  The  name  of 
Gueux  became  soon  extolled  and  honourable  in  all 
the  provinces :  the  Guesen  league  concentrated  the 
popular  murmur,  which,  long  despised  as  the  cry 
of  individuals,  now  became  formidable  from  the 
influence  of  numbers;  the  ordinary  money  became 
consecrated  to  the  cause,  and  the  Guesen  penny,  on 
which  was  introduced  two  travellers'  staves  laid  cross- 
wise, served  to  intimate  that  all  stood  prepared  to 
forsake  home  and  hearth  for  their  humble  property,  as 
well  as  for  religion  and  liberty. 

The  Duke  of  Alva  in  vain  entreated  the  Hollanders,  Duke  of 

\.lv«i 

whom  his  severities  had  lashed  into  fury,  to  lay  down 
their  arms ;  and,  in  order  to  pacify  Les  Gueux,  had 
prescribed  moderation  in  the  Church  proceedings 
against  heretics  :  but  the  people  would  no  longer  trust 
to  the  promises  of  one  who  had  so  often  violated 
them,  and  had  treated  their  complaints  with  such  marked 
severity.  At  length  he  got  thoroughly  tired  out,  and 
petitioned  for  his  recall.  He  was  succeeded  in  his 
government  of  the  Netherlands  by  the  Commendator 
Requesens  in  1573.  The  bloody  Alva  boasted  at  his 
departure  from  his  government  that  he  had,  in  the 
course  of  the  five  years  it  had  lasted,  consigned 
18,000  persons  to  the  hands  of  the  public  executioner ! 

Although  the  career  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  was  so  William 
successful  as  to  raise  him  to  be  the  marked  leader  of  gta(jt. 
the   revolt,  yet    in   1579    the  jealousy  of  those  who  holder, 
served   the    great    cause   with    him,   and   under   him, 
obliged  him  to  form  a  scheme  for  uniting  the  provinces 


12 


INTRODUCTIOX. 

of  Holland  and  Zealand  into  a  separate  .state;  and  this 
was  subsequently  expanded  to  the  league  of  the  Seven 
United    Provinces,   who    adopted  for  the  symbol  and 
anus  of  their  state  a  bundle  of  arrows  tied  together  with 
a  ribbon,  which  has  been  the  cognizance  ever  since  of 
the  Republic  of  Holland,  as  it  is  now  of  the  Kingdom 
of  the  Netherlands.     But  the  contest  was  by  no  means 
yet   at   an   end.     The  country  was  still  the  theatre  of 
war,  and  however  the  power  of  Spain  was  obstinately 
resisted,  the  result  was  doubtful,  for  the  combat  was 
very   disproportionate.     It    was    now,   then,    that    all 
hopes  of  success  seemed  to  hang  upon  the  preservation 
of  Leyden,  long  besieged  by  Valdez.       The  inhabitants 
importunately  implored  the  Prince  of  Orange  to  save 
the  14,000  souls  that  were  shut  up  in  the  city.     It 
was  suggested,  as  a  last  resource,  that  the  dykes  and 
sluices  that  defended  the  surrounding  country  from  the 
ocean  should  be  cut,  and  the  waters  of  the  sea  let  in 
to    dislodge  the   enemy.     The    Prince  himself  indeed 
represented  the  inappreciable  sacrifice  which  such  an 
inundation  would  involve  ;  but    the    reply  of  the  im- 
prisoned free-minded  men  of  Leyden  was,  "  Pays  gate 
vaut  mieux  que  pays  perdu."     The  devoted  people  sub- 
mitted to  the  utter  destruction  of  their  lands  ;  and  in  the 
first  days  of  August,  1580,  the  banks  of  the  Meuse  and 
the  Yssel,  between  Eotterdam  and  Gouda,  were  opened 
upon  the  subjacent  country,  and  the  salt  water  flowed 
freely  and   unrestrained   over   the    smiling  fields    and 
villages  of  the  district.     The  Spanish  army  withdrew 
from  the  low  to  the  high  lands,  but  did  not  raise  the 
siege ;  and  for   six  weeks  the   summer  droughts  and 
contrary   winds    kept  the    inundation    from   impeding 
hostile  purposes,  and  only  added  to  the  privations  of  the 
besieged.     At  length  on  the  2Sth  September,  Boizot 
with  800  Gueux-marins  appeared  in  sight  of  Leyden, 
leading  200  boats  laden  with  all  kind  of  supplies  for  its 
relief.      Valdez,  fearing   from  the    increasing    height 
of  the    waters    that    his    army  would    be    submerged, 


INTRODUCTION. 


13 


abandoned  all  his  works  and  artillery,  and  fled 
with  precipitation  ;  so  that  on  the  3rd  October  the 
blockade,  that  had  endured  from  the  26th  May, 
was  removed ;  and  the  Prince  of  Orange  arrived  next 
morning  in  the  city,  to  thank  the  people  for  their 
devotion  and  constancy ;  and  reaping  great  additional 
credit  from  this  event,  he  increased  every  day  in 
power  and  influence.  Shortly  afterwards  he  surprised 
Breda,  and  induced  Utrecht  and  Amsterdam  to  declare 
for  the  patriots  ;  and  the  gratitude  of  his  fellows  now 
elected  him  Stadtholder  of  all  the  provinces.  The  Spanish 
king  was  consequently  roused  into  more  energetic  de- 
fence of  his  territory,  and  sent  against  this  influence  one 
of  the  best  men  of  his  dominions,  Alexander  Farnese, 
Duke  of  Parma,  who  became  a  successful  rival  in  the 
field  against  William  of  Orange,  and  after  a  time 
recovered  and  saved  the  Spanish  retention  upon  the 
Netherlands. 

The  Prince  of  Orange,  although  checked  and  pro-  William  of 
scribed,  had  become  so  formidable  an  enemy  to  Spain,  s™;weaS" 
that  a  price  was  set  upon  his  head,  and  an  attempt  in 
consequence  was  made  upon  his  life  by  a  Frenchman 
in  1581 ;  but  the  wound  inflicted  did  not  prove 
mortal  to  the  Prince,  though  it  probably  did  to  the 
assassin.  But  in  1584  a  second  attempt  was  made  with 
fatal  success.  While  the  States  of  Holland  were  sharing 
the  hospitalities  of  their  stadtholder  in  his  palace  at 
Delft,  on  July  17th,  one  Balthazar  Gerard,  a  Bur- 
gundian  (and  it  is  said  a  desperate  enthusiast,  who 
thought  himself  impelled  by  a  Divine  command  to 
commit  the  murderous  act),  having  obtained  entrance 
into  the  state  apartments  by  treachery,  or,  as  he  was 
known  to  be  in  the  occasional  confidence  of  the  stadt- 
holder, by  misrepresentation,  so  placed  himself  as  that 
he  might  with  cool  aim  and  certainty  fire  at  William 
when  passing  out  of  the  banqueting-hall,  and  in  this 
manner  succeeded  in  lodging  three  balls  in  the  body  of 
the  illustrious  Prince.     He  instantly  fell,  and  had  only 


14  INI'I! Iln\ 

time  to  ejaculate  before  he  expired,  "0  God!  have 
mercy  on  this  poor  nation."  Among  those  who  wit- 
nessed the  deed  were  his  son  Maurice, — then  a  youth  of 
eighteen  years  of  age,  who  afterwards  succeeded  to  his  in- 
fluence and  consummated  his  work, — and  his  fourth  wife, 
Louisa,  daughter  of  the  famous  Admiral  de  Coligny.  This 
poor  woman  had  seen  three  illustrious  victims  stricken 
hefore  her  eyes; — her  own  illustrious  father,  and  her  first 
husband,  the  famous  Teligny,  had  been  among  the 
killed  on  St.  Bartholomew's  day  ;  and  now,  greatest  of 
all,  William,  Prince  of  Orange,  expired  in  her  arms. 
Com-  The  blood  of  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  liberty  as  of  the 

of  tj10         Church.     The  glorious  Reformation  had  caused  blood 
Thirty         to  flow  on  the  earth  like  water ;  but,  like  the  winds  of 
k'jJ1^        '  iEolus,  freedom  of  thought  as  well  as  freedom  of  belief 
had  become  unchained,  and  the  storm  was  aggravated 
rather  than  restrained  bv  deeds  of  horror  and  violence  ; 
distant  populations  wrere  brought  near  to  one  another 
by  a  common  sympathy,  and  a  common  danger  aroused 
a  like  resistance  to  the  arbitrary  and  haughty  encroach- 
ments of  distant   sovereigns  upon  civil  and  religious 
liberty.     The  revolt  of  the  Netherlands  came  soon  to  be 
imitated,  and  was  nowr  about  to  be  decided  on  German 
ground,  where  an  inexhaustible  mine  of  combustibles 
was  already  prepared,  and  laid  ready  for  the  explosion. 
The  Evan-       The  Diet  of  Katisbon,  to  which  the  Protestants  had 
Union  and  ^°°'cc^  f°r   securing    religious   peace,   had  broken    up 
Catholic       without     coming    to     any    decision  ;     and,    in     conse- 
jeagae.       quence,  the  Lutheran   and   Calvinistic  princes  entered 
for  their  own  security  into  a   confederacy,  called  the 
Evangelical  Union.     But    at  this   critical  juncture  a 
highly    disputable   succession   became   vacant   by   the 
death  of  the  Duke  of  Juliers,  and,  in  defiance  of  the 
imperial  prohibition,  the  Union  troops  took  possession 
of  that  duchy,  and  the  whole  country  submitted  to  the 
Protestant  princes,  who  held  the  Imperialist  troops  be- 
sieged in  the  capital  town  of  Juliers.      This  disputed 
succession    became   a   matter  that    soon   interested  fo- 


INTRODUCTION".  15 

reigners  as  well  as  Germans,  for  it  opened  a  scene  of 
operations  for  those  who  were  hostile  to  Austria  as  well 
as  for  those  who  were  favourable  to  liberty.  A  French 
army,  under  Henry  IV.  in  person,  agreed  to  meet  the 
troops  of  the  Evangelical  Union  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine,  and  to  assist  in  effecting  the  conquest  of  Juliers 
and  Cleves.  The  Brabanteers  and  Hollanders  equally 
offered  to  aid  the  cause  by  keeping  the  army  of  Spain 
occupied.  The  Roman  Catholics  beheld,  with  some- 
thing beyond  inactive  indignation,  the  power  thus 
accruing  against  them  by  the  existence  of  the  Evan- 
gelical  Union,  and  framed  the  plan  of  the  Catholic 
League  to  oppose  them.  The  Bishop  of  Wurzburg 
supported  the  plan,  and  the  Bishops  of  the  Empire 
formed  its  principal  members;  but  Maximilian,  Duke  of 
Bavaria,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  it. 

The  death  of  the  Emperor  Rudolph  in  1612  opened  The  Em- 
a  new  phase  in  the  affairs  of  Germany,  and,  principally  ^[°J 
by  the  favour  of  the  Protestants,  his  brother  Matthias 
was  raised  to  the  Imperial  throne.  They  demanded 
of  the  new  sovereign,  as  the  reward  of  their  support, 
unlimited  religious  toleration,  and  perfect  equality  of 
rights  between  Catholics  and  Protestants.  Upon  a 
refusal  the  deputies  began  without  hesitation  to  levy 
troops,  Hungary  was  asked  and  consented  to  renew 
their  old  alliance  with  the  Protestants,  and  they  set 
themselves  seriously  to  work  to  attain  their  demand 
by  force  of  arms.  In  the  mean  while  the  Emperor 
held  his  first  Diet  at  Ratisbon  in  1613,  and  Matthias 
was  surprised  by  a  new  demand  from  his  subjects, 
who  were  then  already  in  arms.  The  Roman  Catholic 
voters  at  the  Diet  were  the  more  numerous,  and  could 
therefore  carry  any  question  ;  nevertheless,  it  was  boldly 
proposed  by  the  Protestants,  that  henceforth  no  one 
religious  party  was  to  be  permitted  to  dictate  to  the 
other  by  means  of  its  invariable  preponderancy.  This 
demand  was  of  course  rejected,  and  the  Diet  broke 
up  without  coming  to  any  decision. 


16  i\  i  lionrcTiox 

Counl  Before  the  death  of  Kudu]])])  11.,  thai  Emperor  had 

been  induced,  mainly,  as  lias  been  said,  by  the  exertions 
of  ilif  Count  Thurn,  to  issue  what  was  termed  "  a  letter 

of  Majesty,"  that  for  a  time  calmed  the  Protestant 
party  in  Bohemia.  This  Count  Thurn  was  a  con- 
siderable proprietor,  though  not  a  native  of  that 
kingdom;  but  he  had  been  recognized  as  an  influential 
I >u] nilar  leader,  and  the  Emperor  had  conferred  upon 
him  the  place  of  Burgrave  or  Castellan  of  Calstein, 
with  the  custody  of  the  royal  crown  of  the  kingdom, 
and  of  the  national  charter.  The  Boman  Catholic 
councillors  of  Matthias  at  this  time  induced  His 
Imperial  Majesty  to  deprive  Count  Thurn  of  this 
office ;  and  this  act  deeply  wounded  his  vanity,  and 
roused  in  him  a  spirit  of  revenge.  He  had  already 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  troubles  of  the  Bohemian 
kingdom;  and  now  an  opportunity  occurred  of  arousing 
the  Protestants  of  Bohemia  against  some  act  of  the 
government  in  the  little  town  of  Klostergrab,  which 
was  declared  to  be  in  opposition  to  "  the  letter  of 
Majesty."  The  Emperor  haughtily  rejected  the  petition 
presented  to  him,  and  pronounced  the  conduct  of  the  pe- 
titioners illegal  and  rebellious.  Thurn  therefore  exerted 
all  his  influence  to  make  it  what  his  sovereign  had  pro- 
nounced it  to  be.  On  the  23rd  May,  1618,  under  his 
advice  the  people  rose  in  revolt,  and  threw  the  Imperial 
commissioners,  Martinetz  and  Slawata,  out  of  a  very 
lofty  window  of  the  Castle ;  they  then  seized  upon  the 
Imperial  revenues,  got  the  soldiers  to  enter  into  their 
service,  and  summoned  the  entire  Bohemian  kingdom 
to  avenge  the  common  laws.  All  Bohemia,  with  the 
exception  of  only  three  towns,  took  part  in  the  insur- 
rection, and  the  heads  of  the  Evangelical  Union  sup- 
portedthe  courage  of  the  insurgents  by  promises  of  assist- 
ance. Count  Mansfeld  (of  whom  more  hereafter),  who 
had  for  some  time  commanded  with  repute  the  Spanish 
army  in  the  Netherlands,  was  found  from  private  motives 
ready  to  change  his  religion  and  his  allegiance  to  aid  any 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

opposition  to  the  Emperor,  and,  having  raised  a  force 
of  4000  men  in  Germany,  placed  it  at  the  disposal  of 
the  Union,  and  forthwith  carried  it  into  Bohemia.  The 
Emperor  sent  two  armies  under  Bucquoi  and  Dampierre 
against  the  rebellion ;  but  Count  Thurn  appeared  at 
the  head  of  another  army  out  of  Moravia  to  oppose 
them :  and  these  were  the  circumstances  which  pro- 
duced the  first  conflict,  that  led  to  the  Thirty  Years' 
War. 

At  this  juncture  the   Emperor  Matthias   died,  and  Frederick, 
was  succeeded  by  his  nephew  Ferdinand,   son  of  the  pa^trn 
Archduke  Charles  of  Styria  and  Gratz,  who  is  known  made  king 
in  history  as  the  Emperor  Ferdinand  II.     The  Bohe-  ofB°hemia. 
mians  and  Hungarians   repudiated  his  right   of  suc- 
cession to  the  hereditary  estates,  and  elected  Frederick 
the   Elector  Palatine  to    the  Bohemian    throne,    and 
Bethlem  Gabor,  an  influential  Protestant,  to  be  King  of 
Hungary 3. 

3  Compiled  principally  from  Schiller's  Histoi-y. 


■4- 


MAUBICE  OF  OBANGE-NASSAI7, 

A  NETHERLANDISH  GENERAL. 


Born  1567.     Died  1625. 


This  great  warrior  falsified  the  proverb  which  says  that  Intro- 
"  the  children  of  heroes  are  generally  good  for  nothing  ;"  ductoiT- 
for  if  Maurice  did  not  equal  his  father  in  greatness  of 
soul,  he  surpassed  him  in  the  knowledge  of  war,  and  of 
government.  From  his  earliest  childhood  his  ambition 
was  to  take  him  for  a  model ;  and  it  was  his  boyish  fancy 
to  take  for  his  device  the  trunk  of  a  tree  cut  down, 
from  the  root  of  which  there  grew  a  vigorous  sprout, 
with  the  motto  "  Tandem  fit  surculus  arbor."  Not 
only  was  it  natural  in  a  son  to  desire  to  emulate  a  most 
distinguished  progenitor,  but  the  desire  of  Maurice  was 
sharpened  by  a  vindictive  feeling  against  the  enemy  of 
his  house  ;  and  that  not  only  because  Spain  was  the  op- 
pressor of  his  country,  but  also  because  King  Philip  II. 
was  so  base  as  to   reward  the  family  of  his  lather's 

c  2 


20  MMIMii:    OF    OEAXGE-NASSAU. 

murderer  with  the  designation  of  Spanish  nobility  and 
the  grant  of  three  lordships,  over  and  above  the  pay- 
ment of  tin-  price  that  had  been  set  upon  the  head 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange.     The  wretched  assassin,  it  is 

true,  suHtTcd  tin-  penalty  of  his  crime  ;  and  the  French, 
when  they  conquered  Franche-Comt£,  in  which  his 
dotation  was  situated,  were  such  lovers  of  virtue  as  to 
decree  the  forfeiture  of  the  lands  to  the  crown  of  France. 
Birth  and  Maurice  was  the  second  son  of  the  first  "William  of 
E»  •<K»-  oran,,v_X assau,  called  the  Silent,  who  was  a  Prince  of 
the  ducal  family  of  Nassau  ;  hut  had  received  the  ap- 
panage of  Orange,  which  distinguishes  his  line,  from  a 
kinsman,  a  descendant  from  the  ancient  family  of  De 
Chalons.  The  great  founder  of  Batavian  independence 
having  been  forced  to  fly  from  his  Belgic  possessions,  to 
avoid  the  power  of  the  Duke  of  Alva,  had  taken  refuge 
with  his  wife,  Anna,  daughter  of  the  renowned  Maurice, 
I-] lector  of  Saxony,  at  the  Castle  of  Dillenburg,  the  resi- 
dence of  his  hrother,  the  Sovereign  Count  of  Nassau ; 
and  here  Maurice,  Count  of  Orange-Nassau,  was  horn  in 
1584,  and  wras  named  after  his  celebrated  Saxon  grand- 
father. He  entered  the  world  at  the  very  moment  that 
his  lather  had  made  the  sacrifice  of  all  his  wealth  and 
honours  to  the  cause  of  liberty  ;  and  he  was  destined  to 
be  himself  the  builder  and  finisher  of  the  immortal  struc- 
ture commenced,  under  so  many  adversities  and  disad- 
vantages, by  his  truly  immortal  father.  He  had  an  elder 
brother,  Philip  William  (a  godson  of  the  King  of  Spain), 
born  from  William's  first  wife,  Anna,  daughter  of  Count 
Egmont ;  but  this  youth  had  been  seized  in  his  tutor's 
house  at  Louvain,  while  quietly  prosecuting  his  studies  at 
that  universitj^,  by  order  of  the  ruthless  Alva  (as  soon 
as  he  had  become  apprised  of  William's  flight),  and  had 
been  carried  prisoner  to  Spain,  where  he  languished  for 
thirty  years.  Maurice  had  just  entered  his  eighteenth 
year  when  his  father  was  cruelly  assassinated,  at  Delft, 
by  Balthazar  Grerard,  in  1584  ;  but  he  had  already  been 
remarked  by  those  around  him  for  courage  and  genius, 


MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU.  21 

for  he  had  studied  at  Heidelberg  and  Leyden,  where 
his  intelligence  had  highly  distinguished  itself.  He 
had  also  entei-ed  on  his  military  studies  in  the  field 
under  the  eyes  of  his  great  father  himself,  and  was 
with  him  in  his  paternal  house  with  his  mother  at  the 
time  of  that  barbarous  murder.  During  the  lifetime 
of  his  elder  brother  (who  was  released  from  his  captivity 
in  1595,  but  afterwards  married  and  lived  at  Brussels, 
where  he  died  without  children  in  1618),  Maurice  was 
never  called  otherwise  than  Count  Maurice  of  Nassau, 
but  he  assumed  the  title  of  Prince  of  Orange '  upon 
his  elder  brother's  death. 

It  can  be  well  believed  that  the  people  of  the  revolted 
Dutch  provinces  were  filled  with  sorrow  and  consterna- 
tion at  being  deprived  of  their  mainstay  and  hope  by 
the  death  of  the  Prince  of  Orange.     In  their  first  de- 
spondency, after  the  death  of  their  Stadtholder,  mis- 
trusting the  youth  and  inexperience  of  their  own  young 
Prince,  they  had  addressed  themselves  to  England,  and 
offered  the  Sovereignty  of  the  Provinces  to  Queen  Eli- 
zabeth.    But  that  prudent  Sovereign  was  too  wise  to  Queen  Eli- 
risk  a  war  with  Spain  for  a  province  across  the  waters,  ^^ a™~ 
and  too  honest  to  take  any  part  in  an  intrigue  against  proffered 
another's  sceptre  ;  so  that  she  had  replied  with  dignity  Sovereign- 
to  the  ambassadors  who  were  sent  with   the  offer —  United 
"  II  ne  seroit  pour  moi  ni  beau  ni  honnete  de  m'em-  Provinces, 
parer  du  bien  d'autrui."     They  consequently  turned, 
en  dernier  resort,  to  the  young  son  of  the  murdered 
William,  and  Maurice  was  raised  to  the  Stadtholder- 

1  Orange  is  a  city  in  the  south  of  France,  the  capital  of  the 
principality  of  that  name,  which  was  bestowed  by  Charlemagne, 
as  a  reward  for  military  services,  on  De  Chalons,  to  be  held  by 
him  as  a  fief  of  the  Comtes  de  Provence ;  and  was  inherited  by 
the  Nassau  family  through  the  marriage  of  Claude  de  Chalons 
in  the  fifteenth  century.  It  had  been  au  important  place  in  the 
time  of  the  Romans,  by  whom  it  was  called  Auransia,  after  the 
yellow  stone  of  which  it  was  built ;  of  which  word  Orange  is  a 
corruption,  and  it  has  no  kind  of  reference  to  the  fruit  bearing 
that  name. 


Sidnev. 


22  \i.u  Kit  i:  OP  oLi.\\'.i:-\  \ss\r. 

ate  of  Holland  in  1586,  before  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age.     Be  at  once  tuok  the  field  against  the  Duke 
of  Parma,  thru   Governor-General  of  the  Low  Coun- 
tries for  the  Bang  of  Spain,  as  Captain-General,  and 
Admiral  el' th^  United  Provinces. 
Sir  Philip         In  this  quality  one  of  the  first  acts  of  his  duty  was 
to  give  the  right   hand  of  fellowship  to  our  renowned 
English  hero.  Sir  Philip  Sidney,   who   landed  at  Flush- 
ing  with  the  advance    of  Leicester's  army  this  same 
year.      Hither  came  down  Maurice  in  person  to  take 
Sir  Philip  to  his  heart  as  a  brother  and  a  companion  in 
arms,  and  a   warm  friendship   sprang  up  between  these 
eminent  men.     It  would  appear  as  if,  in  those  early 
days  of  regular    armies,  the   Confederate   contingents 
undertook   such   operations  as   pleased  them,   without 
combining  them  in  any  common  system  of  strategy. 
Accordingly  we  find  Sir  Philip,  a  young  man  of  thirty, 
and  with  no  higher  responsibility  than   Governor  of 
Flushing,  scouring  about  the  country  to  seek  for  ad- 
ventures,  and  writing  to  Ids  Commander-in-Chief  to 
send  him  up  some  thousands  of  footmen  and  horse,  to 
enable  him  to  besiege  Steenbergen,  that  he  might  make 
the  enemy  raise  the  siege  of  Grave,  held  by  a  garrison 
of  Netherlander.  Leicester,  however,  was  not  quite  dis- 
posed to  gratify  his  young  kinsman  to  this  extent,  and 
was  in  his  nature  dilatory  and  luxurious,  and  utterly 
incapable  of  directing  a  campaign ;  indeed  it  must  be 
admitted  that  Sir  Philip   Sidney  evinced  much  better 
knowledge  of  the  art  of  war  than  his  General.    He  was, 
however,  confessedly  acting  altogether  out  of  his  com- 
mission, without  forethought  or  knowledge  of  circum- 
stances :   very  like  a  dashing  young  man,  but  like  all 
such  (of  whom  there  are  examples  in  every  campaign), 
more  eager  to  gratify  his  own  desire  for  personal   dis- 
tinction than  to  act   in  subordination  to  the  General- 
in-Chief.     The  Duke  of  Parma  was  far  more  than  a 
match  for  Leicester,  or  the  young  General  of  cavalry, 
and.  quietly  biding  his  time,  circumvented  both,  and 


MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU.  23 

raised  his  flag  upon  the  loftiest  tower  of  Grave  on  the 

7th  of  June.     Count  Maurice  however  now  proposed 

congenial  employment  for  his  friend  Sidney,  by  asking  Expedition 

Leicester  to  send  him  in  command  of  a  detachment  agamst 

•    Axel, 
to  assist  him  in  the  capture  of  Axel,  a  strong  town  m 

Zeeland,  a  few  miles  from  the  southern  bank  of  the 

Scheldt.     The  Earl  gave  his  assent,  and  sent  up  Sir 

Philip    with    3000  foot    soldiers,    under   the   personal 

direction  of  Hohenlohe,  Willoughby,  and  Hatton.     In 

the  spirit  of  that  day,  the  young  chieftain,  who  was 

brimful  of  every  learned  accomplishment,  addressed  to 

his  men  "  some  true-hearted  words,"  while  they  were 

standing  up  to  their  knees  in  water,  awaiting  the  signal 

for  attack.     About  two  hours  after  midnight  on  the 

6th  of  July  this  was  given,  and  Sir  Philip  "  would 

needs  have  the  first  entry,"  so  that,  although  in  the 

chief  command,  he  jumped  into  the  ditch,  at  the  head 

of  some  30  or  40  men,  and  "  swimming  easily  across 

it,"  scaled  the  walls  and  opened  the  gates  to  the  rest 

of  his  followers.     "  This  leading  and  entering  of  the 

town  was  notably  performed."     About  600  men  of  the 

"  sleepy  garrison  "  were  slain  by  the  sword  or  pushed 

into  the  water,  and  the  capture  of  Axel  exalted  the 

character   of  the   English    army    in   the    opinion    of 

Maurice  and  his  Netherlander,  and  raised  the  renown 

of  Sir  Philip  Sidney. 

In  August,    Sir    Philip   served  under  Leicester  at 

the  reduction  of  Doesburg,  which  led  to  the  field  of 

Zutphen,  so  glorious  to  the  Confederate  arms,  but  so 

fatal  to  the  rising  glory    of   our   young   hero.       On 

Thursday,  22nd  of  September,  500  Englishmen,  with 

Sidney  at  their  head,  advanced  under  cover  of  a  thick 

fog  to  the  very  walls  of  the  town,  when  the  fog  lifted, 

and  they  found  themselves  in  a  very  unexpected  and 

perilous  situation.     They  saw  1000  horsemen  drawn 

up  before  them,  and  were  themselves  exposed  to  the 

range  of  the  guns  from  the  ramparts,  and  to  a  heavy 

fire    of  musketry   from   the    advanced   works.      Very 


21  MAURICE   OX   in; am;i:-NASSALt. 

bravely  they  charged,  but  after  an  hour  and  a  half's 
hard  fighting  were  constrained  to  retreat.  Sidney's 
horse  was  killed  under  him,  and  he  was  accordingly 
placed  in  great  danger.  He  promptly  mounted  a  fresh 
horse,  and  Bhared  in  a  second  charge  with  no  better 
result.  He  now  was  unfortunately  persuaded  hy  Sir 
William  Pelhani,  the  lord-marshal  of  the  camp,  to 
lighten  himself  of  his  armour,  and  with  this  ohject  he 
threw  off  his  "  cuisses."  All  the  Englishmen  that 
could  be  collected  (though  scattered  hy  these  ineffective 
operations  about  the  field)  now  united  to  make  a  third 
onset,  when  a  ball  from  a  musket  struck  Sidney  in  the 
leg  above  the  knee,  and  shattering  the  bone  lodged  in 
the  upper  thigh.  He  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to 
dismount,  but  rode  as  he  was  to  Leicester's  tent,  where, 
being  overcome  with  thirst,  he  called  for  some  drink. 
A  bottle  of  water  was  brought  him,  but  as  he  was 
putting  it  to  his  mouth,  he  saw  a  private  soldier  setting 
greedy  eyes  upon  the  coveted  draught.  Sidney,  in  a 
chivalrous  disinterested  spirit,  handed  the  flask  to  the 
soldier,  with  the  memorable  words,  "  Thy  necessity  is  yet 
greater  than  mine."  It  does  not  appear  that  amputa- 
tion was  attempted ;  nevertheless  it  was  more  than  a 
fortnight  before  mortification  set  in,  and  it  was  twenty- 
five  days  subsequent  to  the  wound  that  one  of  the 
purest  and  noblest  spirits  that  ever  animated  human 
flesh  passed  away  from  earth  to  heaven  2. 

Count  Maurice  was  for  a  considerable  period  rather 
disturbed  than  assisted  by  the  English  auxiliary  force 
under  the  Earl  of  Leicester,  whose  haughty  conduct, 
intolerable  pride,  and  unmeasured  ambition,  did  the 
States  more  mischief  than  the  money  he  brought  with 
him,  or  the  troops  that  he  commanded,  did  them  ser- 
vice. Leicester,  being  at  the  head  of  an  armed  force, 
assumed  the  state  which  he  coveted,  and  was  himself 
indeed   fain  to  have  accepted  the  Sovereignty  which 

:  .Motley. 


MAURICE    OP    OBANGE-FASSAir.  25 

they  tendered  even  to  him ;  but  when,  however,  this 
came  to  the  ears  of  his  imperious  Mistress,  it  brought 
down  upon  him  a  rebuke  that  he  dared  not  despise,  and 
awakened  the  minds  of  the  Hollanders  to  the  claims 
of  that  son  of  their  own,  who  proved  himself  more 
capable  than  any  Englishman  or  Frenchman  to  save 
them  in  their  dire  necessity. 

Maurice  came  now,  however,  to  be  pitted  against  the  Antwerp 
renowned   Alexander   Farnese,   Duke    de   Parma,    the  to  the  Duke 
victor  of  the  battle  of  Lepanto,  and  the  saviour  of  of  Parma. 
Paris.     Unopposed  for  a  season,  this  concpieror  overran 
the  Netherlands.      In  1585  he  set  down   before   the 
forts  Lillo  and  Liefkenshoek  on  the  Scheldt,  which  he 
stormed  and  carried  by  the  aid  of  a  high  wind,  which 
overpowered   the    garrison  with   the    smoke   of  some 
wet    hay.       He    also    got    possession    of   Ghent    and 
Dendennonde,  but  he  was  forced  to  raise  the  siege  of 
Lille.    Antwerp,  however,  still  held  out,  and  the  Dutch 
endeavoured  to  throw  in  supplies,  but  at  length  it  like- 
wise was  forced  to  surrender  to  the  Spaniards. 

The  destruction  of  the  great  Spanish  Armada  by  the  Destruc- 

Ensdish  in  1588  infused  new  hopes  into  all  the  enemies  t.10n  °,  the 
°  .  r  Armada  en  - 

of  Spain,  and  animated  the  Dutch  with  such  courage,  courages 
that  Maurice  led  his  army  against  that  of  the  Duke  of tue  Dutch. 
Parma,  and  forced  him  to  raise  the  siege  of  Bergen-op- 
Zoom,at  that  time  garrisoned  by  a  portion  of  Leicester's 
army,  under  the  command  of  Sir  Francis  Vere.  This 
brave  commander,  who  had  given  such  fame  to  her 
army,  that  true  courage  might  not  want  its  due  re- 
ward, had  just  received  from  the  hands  of  Lord  Wil- 
loughby  the  honour  of  knighthood,  which  the  Queen 
had  ordered  him  to  confer.  The  young  Stadtholder 
was  induced  by  this  success  to  surprise  the  Castle  of 
Blyenbeck,  which  was  yielded  to  his  arms  in  1589 ; 
and  the  following  year  he  got  possession  of  Breda  by  a 
ruse  de  guerre,  which  did  not  cost  any  effusion  of 
blood.  The  manner  in  which  the  castle  was  surprised 
evinced  some  ability.     The  garrison  was  supplied  with 


2G 


MM  KICK   OF   ORANGE-NASSAU. 


turf  for  firing  by  a  boatman,  who  was  persuaded  to 
stow  away  below  tfhe  turf  about  70  soldiers.  It  was 
extremely  cold  weather,  and  the  garrison  welcomed 
with  joy  the  fresh  Bupply  of  fuel.  By  this  means  the 
men  entered  the  town,  and  after  dark  opened  the  gates 
to  their  comrades,  who  were  Led  in  by  Maurice  himself, 
accompanied  by  Prince  Hohenlohe,  and  Sir  Francis 
\  ere,  who,  entering  the  castle,  obtained  the  keys  from 
The  Duke    Lanza  Neechia,  the  governor.    The  Duke  of  Parma  was 

raoceeded"  ""U'  recaJled  from  the  Low  Countries  into  France,  and 

by  the         tlie  old   Peter  Ernest,  Count  de  Mansfeld,  succeeded 

Count  de     to  the  government    of  the  Low  Countries.     The   old 
Miinsfold.  it,! 

general    one    day    remarked    to  a   trumpeter  who   had 

been  sent  in  with  a  message  from  the  Dutch  army, 
that  he  admired  their  master,  who  was  a  young  Prince 
full  of  heat  and  courage.  "  His  Excellency,"  said  the 
trumpeter,  "  was  a  young  Prince,  it  was  true ;  but  he 
was  one  who  desired  to  become  one  day  such  an  old 
and  experienced  general  as  His  Excellency  of  Mans- 
feld." 

Capture  of  Maurice  defeated  the  Spanish  army  in  the  open  field 
hvEii,"  ;lt  Caervorden>  and  took  Nimeguen  and  Zutphen.  Our 
'  countrymen,  under  Sir  Francis  Vere,  obtained  the  latter 
place  by  the  following  stratagem:  he  dressed  several 
young  soldiers,  whose  complexions  were  thoroughly 
English,  in  the  costume  of  the  peasant  women  of  those 
parts,  and  gave  them  baskets  and  packs  to  cany  as  if 
passing  in  to  market ;  but  under  their  female  garments 
each  man  carried  arms.  They  were  sent  in  by  twos 
and  twos,  with  directions  where  to  assemble;  they 
were  to  sit  down  at  a  ferry,  as  if  waiting  for  the  ferry- 
boat. This  happened  to  be  near  a  fort,  the  possession 
of  which  would  greatly  facilitate  the  capture  of  the 
town,  and  the  gate  of  which  was  customarily  opened 
for  the  marketers.  Accordingly,  on  they  all  rushed 
together  ;  and  a  well-timed  support  of  200  men,  who 
were  all  ready,  speedily  ran  up  to  their  assistance,  and 
carried  the  fort,      'flics,   successes  added  greatly  to  the 


MAUEICE    OF    OKAXGE-SASSAU.  27 

reputation  of  Count  Maurice,  who  now  made  consider- 
able progress,  so  that  in  the  year  1591  the  Dutch  saw 
their  frontiers  extended,  and  had  well-grounded  hopes  of 
driving  the  Spaniards  out  of  Friesland  in  another  cam- 
paign. The  original  appointment  of  Stadtholder,  as  it 
had  been  conferred  on  Maurice  and  his  illustrious  father, 
was  only  an  office  in  the  province  of  Holland ;  but  as 
the  territory  became  extended  by  other  provinces  join- 
ing in  the  revolt,  the  same  office  was  conferred  on 
Maurice  by  all.  It  strictly  meant  Lieutenant,  or 
Governor,  under  a  King :  and  was  employed  in  this 
contest  to  imply  at  the  first  that  the  Provinces  re- 
volted against  the  Duke  of  Alva,  and  not  against  King 
Philip. 

The  death  of  the  Prince  of  Parma  delivered  the  Con-  Maurice 
federates  from  a  formidable  adversary  :  but  old  Count  takes  Ger- 

T  Vll  YTl  fll « 

Mansfeld,  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  30,000  men,  took  berg, 
the  field  against  them.  Maurice,  however,  in  1593,  not- 
withstanding this  cowering  force,  sat  down  before  Ger- 
truydenberg,  advantageously  situated  on  the  frontier  of 
Brabant.  In  order  to  prevent  any  disturbance  from 
the  Spanish  army,  the  town  was  surrounded  by  a  very 
strong  line  of  circumvallation,  and  a  considerable  fleet 
of  gunboats  was  brought  up  into  the  Meuse.  By 
means  of  this  water  communication,  the  besiegers  were 
supplied  with  every  thing  recmisite  for  a  siege.  While 
this  was  in  progress,  a  spy  was  caught  carrying  de- 
spatches from  the  Governor  to  the  General.  Maurice 
made  him  pass  through  his  fines  under  circumstances 
opportunely  placed  for  his  observation,  and  his  report 
evidently  deterred  Mansfeld  from  attempting  any  in- 
terruption ;  and  the  town  surrendered.  With  the  use- 
ful aid  of  Sir  Francis  Vere  and  the  English,  Maurice 
afterwards  took  Gronenburg  and  Grave,  which  formed 
part  of  his  own  patrimony. 

The  Duke  of  Parma  was  succeeded  in  the  government 
of  the  Netherlands  by  the  Archduke  Albert,  a  younger 
son  of  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  who  was  married  to 


2S  M.WKICE   OF    OltAXUE-NASSAU. 

[sabella,  daughter  of  King  Philip.     Maurice  was,  how- 
ever, again  successful  against  (she  Spaniards  at  Turnhout 
in  1597;  in  consequence  of  which  many  strong  places 
surrendered   to   him  Before  the  end  of  the  campaign. 
Eere  he  defeated  and  slew  the  Count  de  Varax,  Lord  de 
Balancon,  and  captured  2000  prisoners.     Maurice  had 
their  arms  and  banners  hung  up  in  the  great  Hall  of 
Council  at  the  1  [ague.    It  happened  that  he  received  in 
this  apartment  at  this  period  an  anihassador  of  Sigis- 
mund,  King  of  Poland,  who  had  been  sent  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  the  Spanish  King  to  frighten  the  Hollanders  into 
submission  hy  high-sounding  words   and  threatenings, 
"  according  to  the  eloquence  of  his  nation;"  hut  the 
Stadtholder,  without  using  many  words,  showed  him  the 
trophies  of  his  victory.     He  admitted  that  it  was  new 
to  him  to  learn  that  the  King  of  Spain  was  not  alto- 
gether invincible. 
Death  and       The  death  of  Philip  II.  in  1598  freed  Holland  from 
ofPhilinll  a  ruthless  tyrant,    and  the  house  of  Orange  from  its 
bitterest    enemy.       This    sovereign    wras    a    man    of 
very  great   ability,  and  a  monarch  of  immense  Euro- 
pean influence.     He  united  the  whole  of  the  Peninsula 
under   his    sceptre,    and   added   the   treasures  of  the 
Western  to  those  of  the  Eastern  world.     The  com- 
mercial acquisitions  to  Spain  at  this  period  embraced 
the  circuit  of  the  globe,  and  realized  the  proud  boast 
that  has  long  since  passed  away  from  the  Catholic 
King,  that  the  sun  never  set  on   the   dominions   of 
Spain.     The  haughty  monarch,  despairing  of  reducing 
the    Low    Countries   to    obedience,    and   affecting   an 
accommodation,  that  he  might  die  in  peace,  transferred 
the  Sovereignty  to  his  daughter  Isabella,  who  accord- 
ingly wrote   to  the   States,   entreating   them    not   to 
refuse  submission  to   their   own    Princess.     But    the 
States  returned  no  reply,  being  resolved  to  complete 
the  independence  for  which  they  had  so  long  struggled. 
Accordingly,  in  1599,  Albert  and  Isabella  established 
an  interdict  between  all  the  Spanish  dominions  and  the 


MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-HASSAU. 


29 


Dutch  Provinces,  in  order  to  destroy  the  trade  of  that 
eminently  commercial  people. 

The  war  therefore  was  continued  with  spirit.     In 
1601  Maurice  had  obtained  some  valuable  reinforce- 
ments to  his  army  from  the  German  and  Swiss  mer- 
cenaries, who  had  been  disbanded  by  the  French  king 
on  his  making  peace  with   Spain.     But,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Spanish  army  was  much  augmented  by  fresh 
levies  out  of  Spain,  Italy,  and  Germany.     The  States 
were  bent  on  opening  the  campaign  with  some  brilliant 
operation,    and  it   was    resolved  to  besiege   Dunkirk.  Siege  of 
The  Archduke  resolved  to  disturb  the  siege,  and  with  by  Mau.' 
this  view  marched  at  the  head  of  10,000  infantry  and  rice. 
1600  horse :  but  he  found  the  enemy  in  position  at 
Nieuport,  ready  and  eager  to  come  to  an  engagement. 
On  this  occasion  Maurice  did  an  act,  which,  bold  and 
somewhat  rash  in  appearance,  was  in  its  consequences 
one  of  great  wisdom,  and  admirably  suited  to  the  very 
critical   emergency  in  which  he   and   his    army   were 
placed  at  this  juncture.     He  sent  away  the  whole  fleet 
of  vessels  that  had  hitherto  accompanied  his  march,  and 
by  this  expedient  made  his  followers  sensible  that  they 
could  now  have  no  choice  between  victory,  or  captivity, 
or  death.     The  enemy  was   already  in  sight ;  and  it 
was  clear  that,  if  they  should  be  defeated,  retreat  was 
altogether   impossible.     He   then   rode   down   to    his 
army,    and   thus    addressed  them :  "  My  friends !    we 
must  now  either  fall  instantly  and  with  all  our  power 
upon  the  enemy,  or  be  driven  into  the  sea.     Take  your 
choice :  mine  is  already  made.     I  will  either  conquer 
by  your  valour,  or  I  will  never  survive  the  disgrace  of 
being  beaten  by  troops  who  will  despise   us."     This 
address,  spoken  with  earnestness  and  confidence,  and 
with  great    dignity,   had  a  remarkable   and   salutary 
effect  upon  the  troops,  which  was  very  much  assisted 
by  a  few  words  afterwards  addressed  to  them  by  an 
admiral,  who  good-humouredly  told  the  men  :  "  If  we 
do  not  overcome  the  enemy,  we  must  chink  up  all  the 


30  \i  u  rice  Of  "if  \\(;i:-v\ssur. 

water  of  the  sea,  for  there  is  no  way  <A'  our  escaping 
from  hence  unless  we  could  march  away  by  the  dry 
bed  of  the  ocean."  Maurice  thought  to  hold  the  post 
at  Leffingen,  by  which  the  Archduke  would  be  obliged 
to  advance ;  and  he  placed  Ernest  of  Nassau,  with 
some  Zeelanders,  Sir  Francis  Vere  and  the  Scotch,  and 
four  pieces  of  cannon,  with  artillery  to  defend  the  post. 
The  Spaniards  were  checked  by  this  daring  attempt  to 
stop  them,  and  awaited  the  coming  up  of  their  whole 
army,  when  they  fell  upon  the  devoted  detachment. 
But,  by  their  resolute  bearing,  the  Scotch  and  Dutch 
maintained  their  ground,  and,  when  forced  to  retire, 
fell  orderly  back,  after  inflicting  a  loss  of  900  men 
upon  the  enemy.  The  Dutch  army  were  now  formed 
upon  the  sandhills,  with  their  cavalry  on  either  flank. 
Louis  de  Nassau  commanded  the  centre ;  and  Sir 
Francis  Vere,  with  4000  English  and  Scotch,  was 
on  the  line.  A  little  before  the  fight  there  was  a  dispute 
of  honour  between  the  young  Prince  Henry  Frederick 
and  his  brother  Maurice,  who  desired  his  cadet,  as  a  mere 
stripling  of  seventeen  years  of  age,  to  retire  from  the 
field,  that  in  case  of  misfortune  he  might  be  left  to 
defend  his  country  and  his  family.  But  the  brave  youth 
resisted,  and  said  he  would  run  the  same  fortune  with 
Maurice,  and  live  or  die  with  him.  For  two  hours  the 
artillery  on  either  side  preluded  the  combat,  during 
which  the  Admiral  of  Arragon  endeavoured  to  lead  the 
Spanish  cavalry  by  a  narrow  way  between  the  sand- 
hills and  the  sea,  seeking  to  turn  the  right  of  the 
Dutch  position.  But  Maurice  turned  his  guns  upon 
him  with  such  effect,  that,  aided  by  the  fire  of  the 
musketeers  from  the  heights,  he  completely  frustrated 
that  attempt.  The  infantry  now  engaged  along  the 
whole  line,  pike  to  pike,  and  sword  to  sword,  in  close 
personal  conflict.  The  Dutch  left  wing  at  one  moment 
faltered ;  but  they  recovered  their  ground,  and  then 
never  yielded  an  inch.  At  length  they  forced  back 
both  the  wings  of  the  Spanish  army  opposed  to  them, 


MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU.  31 

and  some  weakness  was  apparent  in  the  line,  at  sight 
of  which  Maurice  sent  forward  Sir  Francis  Vere,  and 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  all  his  cavalry,  while  a 
body  of  Swiss  that  was  in  reserve  moved  to  the  front. 
These  troops  broke  through  the  enemy's  centre,  and 
the  rout  was  complete.  A  ciy  of  "  Victory "  was 
immediately  raised  along  the  whole  Dutch  line.  The 
Admiral  of  Arragon,  Maestro  del  Campo,  was  captured, 
with  many  other  commanders,  and  all  the  cannon  and 
baggage.  The  Archduke's  pages  were  included  in  the 
number  taken,  but  Count  Maurice  sent  them  all  back 
without  ransom.  Both  the  Archduke  and  the  Duke 
d'Aumale  were  wounded  in  the  fight.  On  tbe  side  of 
the  victors  the  brave  Lord-Marshal  (as  Sir  F.  Vere  was 
now  called)  was  wounded  in  two  places,  and  had  a 
horse  killed  under  him. 

This  battle  was  fought  on  July  2nd,  the  anniversary 
of  a  day  that  300  years  before  had  been  fatal  to  the 
German  Emperor  of  the  Nassau  family,  who  had  lost 
his  life  and  empire  near  Spire,  in  a  battle  against 
Albert  of  Austria  ;  so  that  it  was  hailed  as  avenging 
the  disgrace  against  another  Albert  of  the  same  house. 
The  victory  was  commemorated  at  the  Hague  by  a 
grandiose  inscription  in  Latin,  purporting  that  Mau- 
rice "  in  Flandriam  terram  hospitem  traducto  exercito 
cum  Alberto  Austrian  conflixit — copias  ejus  cecidit, 
duces  multos  primumque  Mendozam  ccepit,  reversus  ad 
suos  victor,  signa  hostium  centum  quinque  in  Hagiensi 
Capitolis  suspendit  Deo  Bellatori3." 

3  "  Some  24  prisoners  had  been  captured  by  tbe  Austrians, 
and  were  taken  away  with  them,  among  whom  was  one  Hazle- 
wood,  an  Englishman.  The  Archduke,  vexed  perhaps  at  his 
defeat,  ordered  eight  of  these  men  to  be  hanged,  in  retaliation 
of  a  like  sentence  that  had  been  passed  upon  the  same  number 
of  his  own  people.  The  English  soldier  had  the  good  fortune 
to  escape  the  lot ;  but,  seeing  one  of  his  companions  in  danger 
exhibiting  the  strongest  symptoms  of  horror  and  fright  when 
it  came  to  his  turn  to  put  his  hand  into  the  helmet,  John  Bull 
offered  to  stand  the  chance  for  it  upon  payment  down  of  twelve 


32  MAURICE   OF    ORANGE-NASSAU. 

Count  Maurice  had  not  only  been  victorious  over 
the  Spaniards  by  land,  hut  he  had  also  had  some 
singular  good  fortune  at  sea,  where  his  officers  had 
picked  up  many  of  the  ships  and  galleons,  that  had 
been  scattered,  belonging  to  the  Spanish  Armada. 
A  short  time  previously  Dunenworde,  Lord  of  Var- 
mont,  had  acted  with  the  fleet  under  the  Earl  of  Essex 
in  taking  the  town  of  Cales,  and  burning  the  Spanish 
fleet  there ;  and  another  Dutch  Admiral,  Peter  Van- 
derdoes,  had  made  a  descent  upon  the  Canary  Isles, 
and  taken  considerable  booty. 
Capture  of  Nieuport  surrendered  to  Maurice  twelve  days  after 
Dunkirk,'  the  battle  ;  and  he  resolutely  persevered  with  the  siege 
ami  Hois  1c  of  Dunkirk,  which  was  also  surrendered  to  him :  and 
being  now  master  of  the  situation,  he  undertook  the 
sieges  of  Khinberg  and  Bois  le  Due,  making  Ostend  his 
place  d'armes  and  base  of  operations.  This  career  of 
victory  was  indeed  of  the  first  importance  to  the  States, 
for  a  reverse  at  this  juncture  might  have  been  followed 
by  the  utter  loss  of  the  liberties  and  independence  of 
the  young  Republic.  It  has  been  questioned  whether 
Maurice  would  not  have  done  better  if  he  had  followed 
closely  upon  the  Archduke's  army  after  his  victory  at 
Nieuport,  since,  as  reinforcements  were  coming  up  to 
Albert,  he  was  ready  to  take  the  field  again  with  forces 
superior  to  those  of  his  adversary ;  but  his  Flemish 
Council  urged  him  to  advance  upon  Ostend,  and  to  em- 
ploy his  whole  strength  in  depriving  the  Dutch  of  this 
useful  port  of  the  sea,  which  so  much  disadvantaged 
their  position. 
Siege  of  The  siege  of  Ostend  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 

events  of  the  military  history  of  the  century,  which  it 

crowns.  The  offer  was  accepted;  but  Hazlewood  had  the 
good  fortune  to  escape  a  second  time.  Upon  being  called  a 
fool,  fop  80  presumptuously  tempting  fate,  he  replied,  'that  he 
considered  that  he  had  acted  upon  the  calculations  of  wisdom ; 
for  as  he  daily  hazarded  his  life  for  sixpence,  he  must  be  deemed 
to  have  made  a  good  venture  of  it  for  twelve  crowns.' " — Icon 
Animorum. 


Ostend. 


MAUEICE    OF    OBANGE-NASSAF.  33 

may  be  said  to  have  inaugurated.  It  commenced  on 
the  11th  July,  1601.  The  town  was  much  more  con- 
siderable in  extent  and  importance  at  this  period  than 
it  has  ever  been  since ;  and  its  proximity  to  the  sea, 
with  the  command  of  dykes  and  sluices,  which  were 
retained  within  the  works,  rendered  it  a  place  of  consi- 
derable strength.  A  garrison  was  now  placed  in  it,  con- 
sisting of  all  the  English  and  Scotch  who  had  so  greatly 
distinguished  themselves  in  the  battle  of  Nieuport,  and 
the  charge  of  the  place  was  entrusted  to  Sir  Francis 
Vere,  the  Lord-Marshal,  as  Governor.  The  sea  was 
kept  by  the  vigilance  of  De  la  Mark  with  his  Gueux- 
marins,  aided  by  some  English  vessels  of  war,  which 
allowed  of  the  fortress  being  continually  provisioned 
and  supplied  with  every  thing  needful,  while  it  facili- 
tated a  continual  supply  of  fresh  troops  to  the  garrison. 
By  these  means  the  siege  was  prolonged  for  the  extra- 
ordinary period  of  three  and  a  half  years  ;  80,000  men 
are  said  to  have  perished  in  it ;  treasures  to  the  amount 
of  more  than  two  millions  were  expended  in  it :  so  that 
when  taken  at  last  it  seemed  rather  a  cemetery  than  a 
city.     It  was  the  turning-point  of  the  war. 

The  approaches  of  the  besieged  were  disputed  with 
great  valour,  until  at  length  the  Spaniards  were  enabled 
to  raise  batteries,  which  not  only  commanded  the  de- 
fences of  the  place,  but  plunged  upon  the  harbour,  so 
that  the  shipping  could  no  longer  lie  there,  and  an 
attempt  was  made  to  get  the  command  of  the  sea,  and 
to  starve  the  town  into  submission.  To  counteract  this 
effect  upon  the  sea  defences,  the  besieged  made  an  inner 
basin,  which  the  fire  of  the  besiegers  could  not  reach. 
They  also  caused  the  dykes  to  be  cut  and  the  sluices  to 
be  opened,  which  let  in  such  a  body  of  water  upon  the 
earthworks  of  the  Spaniards,  as  flooded  and  washed 
them  down.  The  besiegers  therefore  began  to  dam  up 
with  incredible  labour  the  broken  embankments,  and  to 
convey  the  guns  and  troops  along  their  summit ;  and 
by  their  exertions  new  platforms  were  placed  and  fresh 


g  l  MAURICE    OF    OBANGE-NASSATJ. 

guns  placed  in  battery,  when  a  furious  bombardment, 
that  was  heard  at  London,  opened  upon  the  roofs  and 
belfries  of  tbe  devoted  town.  The  brave  Lord-Marshal 
was  wounded  in  the  early  part  of  the  siege  by  the  burst- 
in--  of  a  gun,  and  was  under  tbe  necessity  of  quitting 
his  post,  and  of  removing  to  Zeeland  for  surgical  treat- 
ment ;  but  he  soon  returned  to  bis  command,  and  in 
December  repulsed  an  attempt  made  to  surprise  his 
ramparts,  with  tbe  loss  of  500  men  of  his  garrison. 
In  January,  1604,  the  besiegers,  having  collected  a 
great  force  of  artillery  and  troops,  opened  such  a  fire, 
that  2200  shot  are  said  to  have  fallen  in  one  day  ;  and 
under  this  fire  a  furious  assault  was  made,  which  was 
driven  back  with  complete  success. 

At  the  end  of  eight  months,  the  heroic  Governor, 
finding  his  men  quite  worn  out  with  the  continual 
harass  and  toil  of  watching  and  fighting,  requested 
leave  for  himself  and  his  men  to  withdraw  from  the 
garrison,  and  by  the  Stadtholder's  permission  the  Lord- 
Marshal  gave  over  the  govenorship  to  Colonel  Frederick 
Dorp,  a  Dutchman,  in  March,  1602.  When  the  Eng- 
lish and  Scotch  quitted  Ostend  there  was  scarcely  a 
house  left  standing  in  it ;  and  163,200  shot  were  said 
to  have  fallen  in  the  town  and  port.  The  besieged  are 
said  to  have  established  a  singular  force  to  aid  the 
defence,  termed  Lopers.  They  were  soldiers  armed 
with  a  long  pike,  having  a  flat  head  at  the  nether  end 
thereof,  to  prevent  it  from  sinking  too  deep  into  the 
mud  ;  they  were  also  armed  with  a  harquebuse  hung  in 
a  scarf,  a  coutelas  at  their  side,  and  they  carried  a  dagger 
suspended  from  the  neck.  These  men,  selected  for 
their  agility,  could  leap  over  a  ditch  twenty-four  feet 
broad,  where  no  horseman  could  overtake  them,  using 
their  lance  as  a  pole,  and  instantly  having  recourse  to 
their  fire-arms  when  safe  across.  They  are  said  to  have 
proved  exceedingly  harassing  to  the  besiegers.  Sir 
Francis  Yere  proved  himself  an  excellent  officer,  and 
an  admirable  governor  of  a  besieged  fortress.     He  had 


MAUEICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU.  35 

learned  his  art  well,  as  is  proved  by  his  "Commentaries," 
written  by  himself,  which  are  even  still  deserving  of  the 
study  of  military  men.  He  was  held  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth to  be  "the  worthiest  Captain  of  her  time." 

As  the  siege  proceeded,  Count  Maurice  exerted  him- 
self to  get  together  a  powerful  army  in  the  field,  to 
force  the  Archduke  to  raise  it.  But,  although  he  was 
not  successful  in  effecting  this  result,  he  made  the 
undertaking  so  onerous,  that  the  Viceroy  got  disgusted 
with  the  task,  and  giving  up  the  command  in  the 
field  to  Rivales,  one  of  the  generals  under  him, 
withdrew  to  Brussels  to  consult  his  counsellors  as  to 
the  devising  of  new  measures  for  accomplishing  the 
reduction  of  Ostend ;  an  enterprise  on  which  his  wife, 
the  Archduchess  Isabel,  "  the  only  man  of  her  family," 
was  so  set,  that  she  vowed  not  to  change  her  garments 
until  success  had  crowned  the  endeavour.  The  hue 
known  as  "  Isabel-colour,"  which  is  somewhat  of  a  dirty 
yellow,  was  so  named  from  the  shade  acquired  by  the 
smock  of  the  Spanish  Princess  in  the  long  period 
during  which  the  siege  of  Ostend  lasted.  The  ladies 
of  her  Court  afterwards  made  the  colour  fashionable  by 
their  adoption  of  it,  as  a  delicate  attention  to  their 
devoted  mistress.  In  a  military  point  of  view,  the 
siege  had  already  attracted  officers  of  all  nations,  who 
came  to  study  the  arts  by  which  the  town  was  de- 
fended, and  the  expedients  on  either  side,  in  illustration 
of  the  attack  and  defence  of  strong  places.  The 
mighty  earthworks  which  the  Spaniards  raised,  although 
in  later  times  vastly  exceeded  by  those  of  the  Russians, 
became  a  perfect  school  for  the  engineers  of  all  nations. 

When  the  siege  had  endured  to  1603,  the  Spanish  Ostend sur- 
fleet  off  the  port,  under  the  command  of  Don  Frederick  renclers- 
Spinola,  unable  to  endure  the  discredit  of  allowing  the 
vessels  of  the  Grueux  to  keep  the  sea,  resolved  to  attack 
the  vessels  of  Zeeland  lying  in  the  haven  of  Sluys,  and 
went  in  against  them  with  eight  galleys  and  some  vessels 
of  war.  A  smart  engagement  ensued,  in  which  Frederick 

D  2 


3G  MAURTCE    OF    OKAXGE-NASSAU. 

Spinola  was  slain,  and  his  fleet  was  so  ill  handled  that 
it  was  constrained  to  take  refuge  under  the  cannon 
of  the  town,  which  was  held  by  the  Spanish  forces. 
Maurice  accordingly  sat  down  before  the  foi*tress,  with 
a  view  to  distract  the  attention  of  the  besiegers  at 
Ostend.  But  the  King  of  Spain,  intent  upon  its  re- 
duction, lavished  the  treasures  of  Peru  and  Mexico  in 
the  formation  of  a  new  army,  the  command  of  which 
he  entrusted  to  the  celebrated  Genoese  nobleman,  the 
Marquis  Spinola,  brother  of  the  Admiral  who  had  been 
lately  slain.  The  superior  military  qualifications  of 
this  renowned  General  speedily  changed  the  face  of 
affairs  at  the  siege.  He  soon  proved  that  no  fortifica- 
tion, however  strong,  or  however  well  defended,  is  im- 
pregnable when  the  skill  of  the  engineer  is  seconded 
by  the  energy  and  operation  of  a  disciplined  force. 
The  advanced  posts  of  the  besieged  were  at  once  driven 
in  behind  their  works ;  roads  were  constructed  across 
the  inundations  on  fascines ;  and  not  only  were  more 
powerful  batteries  formed,  but  their  destructive  power 
was  augmented  by  the  employment  of  mines.  The 
bastions  soon  crumbled  under  this  combined  agency ; 
the  earthworks  were  shaken  to  their  foundations,  until 
the  ramparts  became  utterly  shattered  and  indefensible. 
General  Marquette,  a  Flemish  General  of  reputation, 
had  now  succeeded  to  the  post  of  Governor.  The 
garrison  was  exhausted  with  the  incessant  demand 
that  the  long  siege  had  made  upon  their  morale  ;  their 
comforts  were  sensibly  diminished,  since  the  blockade  by 
land  had  been  accompanied  by  a  similar  effort  from  the 
sea-board,  and  the  port  had  become  closed  against  all 
friendly  assistance,  so  that  the  Governor  saw  that  he 
could  neither  defend  the  ramparts  nor  abandon  the 
place :  under  these  circumstances  he  offered  to  capitu- 
late. Spinola  was  too  rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  obtain- 
ing for  the  King,  his  master,  an  object  so  much  desired 
by  him,  and  offered  the  most  favourable  terms.  The 
garrison  was  allowed  to  march  out  with  all  the  honours 


MAURICE    OF    OKANGE-NASSAU.  37 

of  war,  and  permitted  to  join  Count  Maurice  at  Sluys, 
of  which  place  he  had  obtained  possession  a  few  weeks 
previously.  It  was  not  a  little  to  the  surprise  and 
astonishment  of  the  Spaniards,  when  4000  men  in 
perfect  condition  marched  out  of  Ostend  on  22nd 
September,  1605,  and,  with  drums  playing  and  colours 
flying,  passed  through  their  ranks,  not  with  the  air  of 
a  defeated  force,  but  with  all  the  pride,  pomp,  and  cir- 
cumstance of  soldiers  prepared  for  action.  The  States 
were  justly  proud  of  their  army,  and  were  consoled 
for  the  loss  of  Ostend  by  the  acquisition  that  their 
Stadtholder  had  made  of  Sluys,  Kienbach,  and  Grave  : 
and  to  commemorate  the  circumstance  they  caused  a 
medal  to  be  struck,  with  this  inscription, — "  Jehova 
plus  dederat  quam  perdimus." 

Spinola  was  now  recalled  to  Spain  *,  to  advise  the  The  Dutch 
King  as  to  the  best  means  to  be  employed  against  his  navi  s^c~ 
revolted  Provinces  ;  for  His  Majesty  was  more  than  ever  copes  with 
resolved  by  this  success  to  employ  some  plan  of  conquest.  *na*  of 
By  the  will  of  Philip  II.  they  were  to  revert  to  Spain  if 
fche  Archduke  left  no  issue ;  and  the  Infanta  had  been 
now  long  married,  and  no  hope  of  children  remained  to 
her.   Philip  III.  therefore  regarded  the  Netherlands  still 
as  an  appanage  of  Spain,  and  thought  that  the  power  of 
the  Old  and  New  World  combined  could  effect  this  ob- 
ject.   Spinola  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  was  next  to 
impossible  to  make  successful  war  against  a  country  so 
rich  in  water-defences  as  Holland,  and  with  so  many 
strongly  fortified  towns  and  fortresses,  and  deemed  it 
preferable  to  take  them  in  reverse  by  an  advance  from 
the  side   of  Guelderland,  which  was  more  readily  ac- 
cessible to  the  Royal  armies.     New  levies  were  accord- 
ingly raised  in  Italy  and  Spain,  and  Spinola  was  nomi- 


4  Maurice  very  nearly  obtained  possession  of  the  person  of  his 
renowned  antagonist,  as  he  passed  on  his  way  through  Paris,  by 
the  means  of  some  of  the  free  companies  who  kept  the  country 
on  that  side. 


3S  MAU1UCE    OF    OKANGE-NASSAI 

Dated  again  to  the  command  in  chief.  The  States  saw 
their  impending  danger,  and  prepared  to  provide  against 
it.  Maurice  had  well  measured  the  peculiar  talents  of 
his  adversary,  and  counselled  that  a  policy  purely  de- 
fensive should  he  adopted  for  the  campaign  hy  land, 
hut  that  great  exertions  should  he  made  hy  sea,  The 
Dutch  marine  force  had  become  so  respectable,  that  it 
was  quite  a  match  for  that  of  Spain  whenever  they 
might  meet ;  and  accordingly,  independently  of  the 
defence  of  their  own  coast,  they  fitted  out  a  fleet  under 
Admiral  Heemskirk  to  attack  a  fleet  of  Spanish  ships 
and  galleons  in  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar,  commanded  by 
Admiral  Davila,  in  1607.  The  Castilian,  like  the  famous 
Goliath  of  Gath,  proud  of  his  strength  and  superior 
might,  looked  down  with  contempt  upon  the  Gueux  in 
their  little  galleys,  and  inquired  of  a  Dutchman  whom 
he  had  made  prisoner,  "  what  they  were  coming  there 
for  ? "  "  To  fall  upon  your  fleet  in  an  instant." 
"  They  can  scarcely  be  so  mad,"  said  the  confident 
Davila,  "  for  my  single  flagship  is  sufficient  to  crush 
their  entire  flotdla."  However,  on  came  Heemskirk, 
but  at  the  first  shot  a  cannon-ball  carried  away  his 
legs,  and  he  died,  ordering,  with  his  last  breath,  that 
the  attack  should  be  persevered  in.  His  commands 
were  fulfilled ;  the  great  unwieldy  men-of-war  were 
driven  upon  the  rocks,  and  foundered  on  every  side. 
Count  Maurice,  with  the  home  fleet,  made,  about  the 
same  time,  a  bold  attempt  against  Antwerp,  but  was 
thwarted  by  a  dreadful  tempest,  that  destroyed  forty 
vessels  of  his  armament,  and  in  which  he  very  nearly 
perished  himself.  The  King  of  Spain,  enraged  at  these 
naval  expeditions,  ordered  that  the  Dutch  should 
every  where  be  regarded  as  pirates,  and  that  any  pri- 
soners that  might  be  taken  should  be  hung.  Mau- 
rice accordingly  sent  Admiral  Hautain  into  the  Tagus, 
with  orders  to  give  no  quarter  to  the  Spaniards.  The 
severe  reprisals  that  occurred  on  either  side  were  sad 
enough,     and     made     men     desperate.       Vice-Admiral 


MAUEICE    OF    OEAXOE-NASSAU.  39 

Klaazon  found  himself  beset  in  bis  single  sbip  by 
four  Spanish  vessels.  His  mainmast  was  carried  away, 
and  his  hull  was  riddled  with  cannon-shot,  when,  find- 
ing he  had  nothing  left  but  to  surrender,  he  blew  him- 
self up  with  all  his  crew,  and  by  the  same  act  com- 
mitted fearful  damage  upon  his  assailants. 

Maurice,  at  the  head  of  the  Dutch  army,  protected  The  United 
the  country  from  all  the  endeavours  of  Spinola  to  oc-  b  ^T"^  . 
cupy  it ;  and  every  stratagem  of  war  was  exhausted  by  dependent, 
these  two  great  masters  of  the  art.  The  expenses  of 
the  war  became  too  heavy  even  for  the  masters  of  the 
wealth  of  the  New  World.  The  Spanish  commerce  was 
seriously  checked  and  impaired  by  the  Dutch  marine, 
and  the  lack  of  silver  rendered  it  impossible  even  for  Spi- 
nola, whose  great  masterwork  of  command  was  the  regu- 
lar pay  of  his  troops,  to  keep  the  soldiers  to  their  colours. 
They  broke  into  open  mutiny  for  want  of  pay ;  and 
the  great  Genoese  nobleman,  shocked  and  disgusted  at 
such  a  condition  of  things,  counselled  the  Spanish 
King  to  peace  ;  representing  to  him  the  impracticability 
of  conquering  a  people  so  resolved  to  be  independent ; 
and  proving  to  His  Majesty  that  it  was  better  policy 
to  give  repose  to  his  people  under  the  quiet  possession 
of  a  considerable  province,  rich  and  populous,  than  to 
sacrifice  every  thing  to  recover  seven  poor  and  distant 
States  which  would  never  repay  the  trouble  of  retaining 
them.  Such  doctrine  was,  however,  new  and  unpa- 
latable to  the  haughty  Spaniard.  But  the  opinion  of 
the  General  was  supported  by  the  diplomacy  of  friendly 
powers  ;  and  the  King's  consent  was  extorted  by  these 
means  to  open  negotiations  with  the  Dutch  Kepubhc 
as  an  independent  State.  The  first  conferences  having 
this  object  were  held  at  the  Hague  in  1607,  at  which 
envoys  from  England  and  France  assisted.  These 
Ambassadors,  high-born  and  high-bred,  were,  it  is 
stated,  thrown  aback  on  witnessing  the  arrival  of  the 
deputies  from  the  Seven  United  Provinces.  Seven 
men  with  long  beards  were  seen  to  disembark  from  a 
galley,  and  prepared  to  take,  in  the  open  air,  a  repast 


MAUBICE    Of   OBANGE-NASSAU. 

of  bread  and  cheese,  and  beer.  "  Ah  !"  exclaimed  these 
refined  plenipotentiaries  ;  "  if  these  are  the  men  with 
whom  we  have  to  do,  '  il  nous  taut  l'aire  la  paix  ;  jamais 
on  ne  pourra  sorvaincre  de  tels  gens.'  '  However,  if 
such,  as  has  been  recorded,  was  the  first  impression 
of  the  Spanish  negotiators,  they  soon  found  it  to 
be  true,  for  it  was  as  impossible  to  overcome  them 
in  argument  as  in  the  field,  since  in  1G09  they 
were  still  disputing  the  details  of  a  treaty,  when 
the  two  commanders  of  the  armies  arrived  at  the 
Hague. 

The  country  was,  in  fact,  not  so  much  at  one  in 
their  wishes  and  opinions  as  in  their  humble  fare. 
Two  parties  divided  the  leading  men  of  Holland  at  this 
period,  distinguished  as  all  men  every  where  were  at 
the  juncture  by  different  religious  opinions;  these  were 
known  as  Gomarists  and  Arminians.  The  latter  was 
headed  by  the  Grand  Pensionary  Barncveldt,  around 
whom  rallied  all  the  most  austere  republicans.  The 
former  was  that  of  Maurice  himself.  Barneveldt's 
party  had  become  jealous  and  suspicious  of  the 
Stadtholder's  military  reputation,  and  were  desirous 
of  peace,  as  a  means  of  checking  the  influence  of  his 
glory.  The  Orange  faction,  on  the  other  hand,  was  as 
eager,  from  the  same  motives,  to  continue  the  war. 
Maurice  therefore  threw  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of 
an  accommodation.  But  the  high  reputation  of  Bar- 
neveldt  for  virtue  and  honesty,  and  the  great  con- 
fidence in  his  wisdom,  which  had  been  shown  in  the 
ample  means  by  which,  in  his  high  office,  he  had  aided 
the  victories  of  the  Republic,  and  now  counselled  time 
and  repose  for  consolidating  their  liberties,  and  recover- 
ing then*  country,  so  thoroughly  exhausted  as  it  was 
by  the  war,  prevailed  at  length  ;  and  the  negotiations 
continued.  Barneveldt  at  the  very  first  sitting  refused 
to  treat  at  all,  unless  Spain  consented  in  express  terms 
to  recognize  Holland, — as  composed  of  the  Seven 
United  Provinces, — as  an  independent  State,  to  whom 
should  be  freely  granted  the   commerce  of  the  Indies. 


MAUKICE    OF    OEANGE-NASSAF.  41 

on  the  footing  of  other  foreign  nations  ;  together  with 
the  assurance,  that  the  people  should  be  left  in  the 
undisputed  possession  of  religious  liberty.  The  Spanish 
negotiators  hesitated  to  concede  these  preliminary  con- 
ditions, until  James  I.  of  England  and  Henry  IV.  of 
France  intimated  that  they  would  withdraw  from  the 
Hague  unless  the  Dutch  showed  more  moderation.  At 
length  a  cessation  of  arms,  known  as  the  Truce  of 
Treves,  was  concluded  for  twelve  years,  during  which 
period  territories  on  either  side  were  to  be  respected, 
and  commerce  was  to  continue  on  the  old  footing. 
The  Stadtholder  appeared  in  public  to  be  reconciled  to 
the  Pensionary  by  the  attainment  of  this  great  national 
victory,  but  in  his  heart  he  did  not  pardon  the  oppo- 
sition that  he  felt  persuaded  was  directed  against  him- 
self and  the  ambitious  designs  that  he  might  have  been 
conscious  that  he  entertained.  Every  free  country  that 
was  ever  constituted  is  divided  into  at  least  two  parties. 
In  general  they  are  composed  of  those  who  are  content 
with  the  existing  state  of  things,  and  of  those  who  de- 
sire change.  The  Gomarists  and  Arminians  were  not 
exactly  divided  by  any  political  opinion.  They  were, 
in  their  past  existence,  followers  of  two  professors  of 
Leyden,  on  some  abstract  notions  of  theology.  But 
they  had  now  degenerated  into  more  mundane  divisions. 
The  cessation  of  the  war  permitted  all  classes  to  range 
themselves  under  the  one  or  other  category,  and  the 
zeal  of  partisans  blazed  forth  in  every  kind  of  vitupe- 
ration against  each  other.  The  Arminians,  who  were 
painted  as  the  secret  friends  and  emissaries  of  Spain, 
resolved  on  opposing  the  great  house  of  Orange-Nassau  ; 
on  the  other  hand  Maurice  went  through  all  the  Pro- 
vinces to  denounce  the  Truce,  which  he  endeavoured  to 
show  would  be  ruinous  to  their  commerce,  and  that 
Holland  when  impoverished,  as  it  would  be  by  the  loss 
of  their  wealth,  would  be  made  easily  to  succumb  to 
the  Spaniards.  Libels,  condemning  Barneveldt  as  the 
machinator  of  the  Truce,  were  anonymously  circulated 


42  MAIKICK    OF    OHANGE-NASSAU. 

to  raise  a  prejudice  against  the  Pensionary,  and  to 
destroy  his  influence.  In  the  mean  while  Barneveldt 
used  his  utmost  exertions  to  secure  puhlic  liberty,  and 
to  establish  a  national  militia  to  uphold  it.  Maurice 
stood  up  for  the  maintenance  of  the  regular  army,  who 
had  so  well  served  the  country.  At  length  it  was 
necessary  to  settle  these  differences,  and  the  Stadt- 
holder  chose  to  base  the  remedy  upon  the  religious 
rather  than  the  political  phase,  and  exerted  all  his 
influence  to  call  a  national  Synod.  Barneveldt  opposed 
this  step  with  all  his  might.  In  spite  of  him,  how- 
ever, the  Synod  was  called,  which  assembled  at  the 
town  of  Dordrecht  in  1618. 
Proceed-  "  The  Synod  of  Dort "  is  a  marked  event  in  the  his- 

ings  of  the  £Q      0f  ^e  jj0W  Countries.     It  was  attended  by  the 
©vnod  or  J  .  .  J 

Dort.  most  eminent  divines  of  the  Seven  Provinces,  and  by 

deputies  from  the  Protestant  churches  of  England, 
Scotland,  Switzerland,  and  Germany.  The  Arminian 
side  was  defended  by  Grotius,  Vossius,  and  other 
learned  men.  But  the  Gomarists  prevailed,  and  it 
was  carried  that  all  who  professed  Arminian  opinions 
should  be  banished.  The  Stadtholder  was  now  master 
of  the  situation,  and  he  was  prepared  to  use  his  power 
as  those  who  have  been  great  military  leaders  have 
often  been  seen  to  do  before  his  time  and  since.  His 
ambition,  and  the  fear  of  losing  power,  rendered  him 
arbitrary  and  tyrannical.  He  knew  Barneveldt  to  be 
opposed  to  him,  and  regarded  him  as  a  personal  qpemy, 
whom  without  any  compunction  he  resolved  to  re- 
move out  of  his  path.  As  chief  of  the  State,  he 
took  upon  himself  to  carry  into  effect  the  decision 
of  the  Synod ;  but  it  was  not  enough  for  his  object  to 
relieve  himself  of  the  presence  of  Barneveldt ;  he  de- 
termined to  avail  himself  of  the  powers  confided  to  him 
to  destroy  him  and  his  friends.  He  added  deceitful- 
ness  to  cruelty  in  the  consummation  of  his  hatred  and 
revenge.  On  his  return  to  the  Hague,  he  invited 
Barneveldt,  Grotius,.  and  others,  to  a  conference  at  the 


MAUEICE    OF    OKANGE-NASSATT.  43 

Palace  upon  affairs  of  State ;  and  there  he  accused 
them  of  high  treason  for  their  language  in  the  Synod, 
and  for  the  course  they  had  adopted  towards  him  on 
the  questions  of  the  army  and  militia,  and  in  organi- 
zing an  opposition  against  him  among  the  States :  and 
without  further  notice  he  had  them  arrested,  and  com- 
mitted them  to  prison  in  the  Castle  of  Loevenstein. 
The  States-General  demanded  that  they  should  he 
remitted  to  them  for  trial  on  whatever  charges  were 
made  against  them  ;  and  the  family  of  Barneveldt 
urged  the  advanced  age,  the  long  services,  and  the 
virtues  of  the  Grand  Pensionary  as  reasons  to  justify 
his  release  from  close  imprisonment.  For  all  reply 
Maurice  named  a  commission  of  twenty-four  members 
of  the  States-General  to  inquire  into  the  charges  ;  but 
these  were  recognized  as  being,  to  a  man,  calumniators 
and  enemies  of  the  accused.  The  Synod  reassembled 
of  its  own  accord  to  stay  proceedings ;  but  the  Armi- 
nians  being  all  proscribed  and  banished,  those  who 
were  disposed  from  other  considerations  than  doctrinal 
ones  to  befriend  the  accused  were  powerless  and  inti- 
midated-. The  Commission  decreed  that  all  the  pri- 
soners should  be  consigned  to  death  for  "  vexing  the 
Church  of  God."  De  Maurier,  the  French  ambassador, 
interfered  with  energy  to  stay  the  iniquitous  sentence ; 
and  it  is  said  that  Maurice  so  far  relented  at  his  en- 
treaties, as  to  require  that  the  family  of  Barneveldt 
should  petition  for  his  pardon.  But  as  this  might  be 
construed  to  admit  his  guilt,  they  nobly  replied  "  that 
they  would  sooner  that  he  should  perish  in  innocence, 
than  that  his  life  should  be  preserved  with  the  stain  of 
guilt  and  dishonour  upon  it."  The  veteran  Barne- 
veldt, at  seventy-two  years  of  age,  who  had  served  his 
country  in  the  cabinet  with  the  same  ability  that 
Maurice  had  shown  in  the  field, — whose  prudent  and 
patriotic  character  had  been  the  pride  and  admira- 
tion of  his  contemporaries, — was,  without  further  ado, 
brought  to  a  scaffold  erected  in  the   courtyard  of  the 


it  MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU. 

Palace,  and,  as  has  been  said,  before  the  very  eyes  of 
the  Stadtholder,  was  executed  as  a  common  malefactor. 
The  last  few  words  addressed  to  his  countrymen  were  : 
— "  Fellow-citizens,  bebeve  me  I  am  no  traitor  to  my 
country. — A  patriot  have  I  lived  ;  and  a  patriot  I  die." 
His  death  took  place  in  1G19. 

The  sons  of  Barneveldt,  seeing  the  general  unpopu- 
larity that  attended  this  illegal  act  of  the  Stadtholder, 
and  resting  on  the  gross  injustice  of  their  father's  sen- 
tence, entered  unhappily  into  a  conspiracy,  and  raised 
the  standard  of  revolt.  But  having  failed  to  incite  the 
people,  they  were  arrested,  brought  to  trial,  and  con- 
demned to  death.  The  widow  of  Barneveldt  was  in- 
duced personally  to  solicit  from  the  Stadtholder  the 
pardon  of  her  children.  But  when  Maurice  expressed 
surprise  that  she  did  for  her  sons  what  she  had  for- 
borne to  do  for  their  father,  the  heroic  mother  replied 
with  indignation, — "  I  would  not  crave  a  pardon  for 
my  husband,  because  he  was  innocent.  I  ask  it  for 
my  sons,  because  I  know  them  to  have  been  guilty." 
The  sentence  passed  on  G-rotius  at  the  same  time  with 
the  Grand  Pensionary  was  commuted  to  imprisonment 
for  life.  But  by  the  ingenuity  of  his  wife  he  succeeded 
in  making  his  escape  from  the  Castle  of  Loevenstein 
concealed  in  a  chest  of  books,  in  which  he  was  safely 
carried  away ;  and  he  survived  more  than  thirty  years, 
to  add  to  his  fame  and  usefulness  in  the  world. 
Death  of  It  was  during  these  events  that  Philip  William  of 

l^i   'i*       "Y\r*l 

..  _  Ip„     "  Orange-Nassau,  the   elder   brother  of   Maurice,   died, 
ham  of  ° 

Orange-  After  having  been  detained  a  close  prisoner  for  more 
Isassau.  than  thirty  years  in  Spain,  Philip  II.,  who  was  his 
godfather,  either  moved  by  compassion,  or  hoping  that 
his  deliverance  might  create  divisions  and  jealousies 
among  the  brothers  of  the  family,  released  him.  Mau- 
rice, however,  behaved  most  liberally  towards  him,  and 
let  him  enjoy  without  question  all  the  family  estates 
which  were  still  in  their  possession ;  and  the  King  of 
Spain   restored  to   him  those  which  had  been   confis- 


MAURICE    OP    OEANGE-NASSATT.  45 

cated.  He  received  little  education  in  Spain  but  the 
Catholic  faith,  and  being  new  and  strange  to  every  thing 
in  Holland,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Brussels,  having 
married  Eleanor  de  Bourbon,  Princess  de  Conde,  by 
whom  he  had  no  children.  This  marriage  with  the 
first  princess  of  France  put  him  in  possession  of  the 
principality  and  town  of  Orange.  He  was  subject  to 
great  violence  of  temper ;  and  when,  in  Spain,  the 
captain  who  guarded  him  spoke  disrespectfully  of  his 
great  father,  he  instantly  seized  him,  and  threw  him 
out  of  a  window,  and  broke  his  neck  by  the  fall.  The 
council  were  puzzled  what  course  to  pursue  towards 
this  princely  prisoner,  but  in  the  end  resolved  to  look 
over  the  offence,  and  to  construe  the  encounter  indul- 
gently. He  and  his  wife  both  died  in  the  same  year, 
1618,  when  Maurice  took  upon  himself  the  quality  of 
Prince  of  Orange,  and  inherited  his  whole  estate. 

The  truce  of  Treves  expired  in  1621,  and  the  court  Renewal  of 
of  Spain  resolved  to  renew  the  war  for  the  subjugation  g  ^ar  y 
of  the  seven  revolted  Provinces.  James  I.  accordingly 
sent  6000  English  troops  to  aid  the  Dutch  cause. 
These  were  commanded  by  Horatio,  the  younger  bro- 
ther of  the  Lord-Marshal,  Sir  Francis  Yere 5,  who  had 
died,  and  lies  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey  under  a  well- 
known  stately  monument.  Horatio  Yere  was  a  wise  and 
valiant  commander,  so  that  under  his  auspices  many 
noble  and  aspiring  soldiers  followed  him  to  the  Low 
Countries    to  be   initiated  in  the  art  of  war,    among 

5  Fuller  includes  him  amongst  his  English  Worthies,  and  says 
of  him  "  that  his  temper  was  such,  that  he  was  like  the  Caspian 
Sea,  which  neither  ehbs  nor  flows,  observing  a  constant  tenor ; 
neither  elated  with  success,  nor  depressed  with  failure."  He 
was  created  at  the  termination  of  the  war  Lord  Vere,  Baron  of 
Tillary.  The  younger  children  of  Charles  I.  were  placed  under 
the  care  of  his  widow,  who  was  a  lady  of  great  piety  and  worth, 
which  has  obtained  for  her  this  punning  epithet : — 

"  Nobilitas  tibi  Vera  fuit :  prudentia  Vera, 
Vera  tibi  pietas." — 


MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU. 

others  the  famous  Monk,  Duke  of  Albemarle.  The 
celebrated  Count  Peter  Mansfeld,  natural  son  of  Peter 
Ernest,  was  also  at  this  time  taken  into  English  pay  to 
serve  the  cause  of  the  Protestant  Union  in  Germany,  and 
marched  thither  with  12,000  foot  and  6000  horse,  with 
the  view  of  recovering  the  Palatinate  for  the  unfor- 
tunate King  and  Queen  of  Bohemia.  But  this  expedition 
was  rendered  abortive  by  the  defeat  of  Christian  IV., 
King  of  Denmark,  who  commanded  for  the  Protestant 
Union,  at  JSTortheim,  in  1626.  Among  those  who  accom- 
panied the  forces  of  Mansfeld  was  Duke  Christian  of 
Brunswick,  sometimes  called  Dol-Hartzoeh,  or  "  the 
madman."  This  Prince  having  no  money  to  pay  his 
followers,  and  hearing  that  there  were  in  the  Cathedral 
at  Munster  the  statues  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  in  silver, 
of  a  prodigious  bigness,  he  neither  consulted  Mansfeld 
nor  the  Prince  of  Orange,  but  marched  straight  to 
Munster,  and  entered  the  Dom-Kirk  with  all  his  staff, 
when  he  made  a  speech  to  the  figures  to  this  effect,  "  that 
they  were  idle,  and  disobedient,  in  not  observing  their 
Master's  command  to  go  and  teach  all  nations,"  and 
that  he  had  therefore  resolved  to  make  them  efficient 
travellers ;  accordingly  he  directed  them  to  be  broken  up 
and  coined  into  rix  dollars.  This  Prince  entertained  a 
great  passion  for  the  Queen  of  Bohemia,  whose  glove 
he  always  carried  tied  by  a  ribbon  to  his  helmet,  on 
which  was  inscribed  in  plain  letters  "  Alles  fur  Gott 
und  Sie."  When  Mansfeld  marched  away,  the  Duke 
returned  to  the  Prince  of  Orange  ;  but  he  did  not  remain 
long  with  the  army,  but  followed  the  Princess  into  Eng- 
land, where,  for  the  honour  of  her  English  training,  Her 
Majesty  did  not  encourage  his  strange  passion.  He 
returned  to  the  wars,  and  in  an  affair  near  Fleurus 
had  his  arm  shot  off  by  a  cannon-ball ;  when  he  had  a 
false  one  made  of  silver,  which  could  discourse  music 
like  an  instrument.  He  obtained  the  metal  for  this 
from  a  silver  statue  of  St.  Liberius  bigger  than  life, 
which  had  been  to  that  time  at  the  Cathedral  Church 


MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU.  47 

of  Paderborn.  Baron  Maurier,  from  whose  work  I 
derive  these  anecdotes,  declares  that  he  had  himself 
seen  the  silver  arm  which  this  unscrupulous  leader 
carried.  He  now  gave  up  the  Queen,  and  assumed  for 
his  device,  "  Gottes  Freund  und  des  Pfaffer  Feind,"  or, 
"  Friend  of  God,  and  enemy  of  priests  ;"  and  forthwith 
acting  on  this  assumed  mission,  he  slew  and  plundered 
the  clergy  without  mercy.  He  was,  undoubtedly,  a 
prince  of  great  courage,  but  of  brutal  valour ;  and,  one 
day,  seeing  a  workman  repairing  a  church  steeple  in 
Holland,  he  wantonly  fetched  him  down  from  the  sum- 
mit with  a  stone  that  killed  him.  This  outrageous 
spirit  at  length  departed  this  life  in  the  prime  of  his 
youth  of  a  burning  fever  at  Wolfenbuttel. 

Marquis  Spinola  commenced  the  campaign  by  the  Capture 
siege  of  Bergen-op-Zoom,  with  a  considerable  Spanish  ° *~? e*~i 
army,  in  1622,  but  Maurice  was  enabled  to  meet  him  Maurice, 
with  the  united  forces  of  Mansfeld,  Brunswick,  and 
his  own,  and  obliged  the  Marquis  to  raise  the  siege. 
He  afterwards  encountered  Don  Gonsalvo  de  Cordova, 
who  endeavoured  to  stay  their  passage  into  Germany 
with  a  Spanish  force  near  Fleurus ;  but  he  also  was 
defeated.  After  this,  however,  Prince  Maurice  could 
effect  nothing  considerable,  but  maintained  his  ground 
solely  by  acting  on  the  defensive  during  the  entire 
year  1623,  in  which  he  could  not  prevent  the  capture  of 
Breda,  one  of  the  strongest  fortifications  of  the  Low 
Countries,  in  1621.  The  mortification  at  being  unable  to 
relieve  this  place  during  a  long  blockade  of  six  months 
preyed  upon  the  mind  of  Prince  Maurice,  whose  health 
had  already  begun  to  give  way ;  and  the  state  of  his 
mind  was  thought  to  be  seriously  affected  by  remorse  for 
the  death  of  Barneveldt.  He  had  indeed  often  missed  the 
administrative  talents  of  the  Grand  Pensionary,  who  in 
former  campaigns  had  always  provided  largely  and 
effectively  for  the  army  under  his  command ;  and  on 
one  occasion,  when  his  ill  fortune  had  brought  on  some 
disappointments,  Maurice  exclaimed,  "  Quand  ce  vieux 


48  MAFRTCE   OF    OBAHTGE-NASSAU. 

eoquin  vivait  nous  n'etions  pas  aussi  cmbarasses 
d'areent  et  de  conscils ;  mais  maintenant  nous  n'avons 
ni  Tun  ni  l'autre."  An  access  of  fever  obliged  him  to 
quit  the  field  and  withdraw  to  the  Hague,  where  he 
died  in  1625,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  It  has 
been  the  constant  burden  of  all  biographers  to  attribute 
his  sudden  and  early  death  to  compunction  for  his 
most  cruel  judgment  upon  the  venerable  and  es- 
timable Barneveldt ;  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  in 
that  affair  he  exhibited  an  unbridled  and  tyrannical 
despotism  that  cannot  be  extenuated,  and  must  ever 
very  much  damage  his  reputation.  Like  many  great 
men  at  the  head  of  armies,  and  for  many  years  in  pos- 
session of  arbitrary  power,  he  was  impatient  under  any 
opposition ;  and  although  the  exertions  required  to 
support  a  tottering  cause  under  difficulties  had  brought 
his  temper  somewhat  under  restraint,  it  had  never  been 
a  good  one.  Notwithstanding  this  outrageous  crime, 
he  must  be  acquitted  of  the  desire  imputed  to  him  of 
sacrificing  Batavian  independence.  He  had  survived 
the  Pensionary  eight  years,  and  the  Prince  had  not 
in  this  interval  made  one  step  towards  the  desire  to 
turn  matters  to  his  own  account  and  make  himself 
King,  of  which  Barneveldt  and  his  party  had  accused 
him.  This  has  not  been,  perhaps,  sufficiently  borne 
in  mind  in  the  estimate  of  the  Prince's  conduct ;  since 
after  the  removal  of  all  obstacles  to  his  ambition  he 
had  no  sufficient  cause  to  hesitate  in  his  course,  if 
the  accusation  had  been  true.  For  the  rest,  although 
he  had  the  reputation  of  having  been  naturally  good, 
true,  and  honest  in  private  life,  yet  in  the  article  of 
women  he  was  considered  to  have  been  most  dissolute : 
he  never  married,  but  he  had  several  illegitimate 
children,  especially  a  daughter  by  a  Madame  de  Micheler, 
his  sometime  mistress,  and  one  Monsieur  de  Beververt, 
who  was  a  soldier  of  some  distinction. 
Character        Prince   Maurice   of   Nassau    possessed    very    great 

of  Prince     Clualities  for  war,  and    evinced    courage  and   military 
Maurice.        1 


MAURICE    OF    ORANGE-NASSAU.  49 

ability  upon  every  occasion  of  his  service.  He  was 
indeed  considered  the  most  consummate  warrior  of  his 
day,  although  inferior  in  forethought  and  circumspec- 
tion to  Montecucculi.  But  the  Chevalier  Folard  re- 
gards him  as  the  greatest  commander  of  infantry  since 
the  time  of  the  Romans.  He  had  deeply  studied  the 
military  works  of  the  ancients,  and  was  fond  of  endea- 
vouring to  apply  their  rules  to  the  various  occurrences 
of  his  own  experience.  He  discovered  inimitable  skill 
in  his  marches  and  encampments  ;  and  was  indefatigable 
in  devising  means  to  render  his  troops  patient  of  cold, 
hunger,  and  fatigue.  He  particularly  excelled  in  every 
thing  that  could  add  to  the  efficiency  of  a  soldier,  ex- 
hibiting great  address  in  collecting  subsistence  for  his 
armies  from  countries  either  barren  by  nature  or 
exhausted  by  war.  He  had  the  happy  talent  of  call- 
ing forth  in  a  moment  the  ardour  and  confidence  of 
his  followers,  and  could  bring  out  their  greatest  exer- 
tions at  a  moment  of  crisis.  He  had,  moreover, 
the  secret  of  employing  his  resources  at  the  smallest 
possible  expense  of  blood.  At  the  same  time  he  could 
not  tolerate  effeminacy  in  his  generals  and  officers, 
and  thought  that  they  could  scarcely  be  guilty  of 
a  greater  indiscretion  than  indulging  in  a  bed,  when 
the  men  were  lying  on  the  hard  ground.  And  this 
he  impressed  even  more  strongly  upon  his  younger 
officers  ;  for  he  said  that  "  a  subaltern  who  commands 
only  20  men,  has  no  one  but  himself  to  depend  upon  ; 
whereas  a  general  has  others  to  watch  for  him  and 
advise  him ;  and  that  those  who  were  in  the  van  or  on 
the  outposts  had  the  care  and  safety  of  the  entire  army 
depending  on  them."  The  Prince  himself  was  very 
vigilant  and  laborious,  and  had  the  faculty  possessed 
by  so  many  great  commanders  of  snatching  a  short 
sleep  as  soon  as  he  laid  himself  down  to  court  it.  He 
was  very  strong  in  his  constitution,  yet  sufficiently 
careful  of  so  invaluable  a  blessing,  by  attending  to  many 
little  comforts  in  cold  seasons,  and  wet  camps ;  such  as 

E 


•"»()  MAURICE   OF   ORANGE-XASSAU. 

(Tearing  two  or  even  three  shirts.     He  always  clothed 
himself  in  his  campaigns  alter  the  same  fashion,  with 
woollen  clothes  of  the  same  stuff,  generally  of  a  sort  of 
lirown,  or  mud-colour,  sometimes  faced    with    velvet. 
But  when   dressed   for   state,  his   doublet  of  silk  was 
slashed  with    gold   stripes  ;  and  he  wore  in  his  hat  a 
hand  of  diamonds,  while  the  gilt  girdle  to  which  his 
sword  was  fastened  was  enriched  with  jewels.     About 
lus  neck  likewise  he  carried,  according  to  the  fashion 
of  the  time,  little  plaited   ruffs,  edged  with   Flemish 
lace.      In    appearance   he   had    a   plump    and    ruddy 
countenance,  with  a  fair   beard,  which  he  wore  very 
full  and  broad.     His  figure  was  stout,  which  made  him 
appear  of  shorter  stature  than  he  really  was.    His  chief 
diversion,    when   not    occupied    with   war    or   politics, 
was  the  game  of  chess,  always  risking  a  crown  of  gold 
on  his  game.     At  this  he  was  either  not  very  skilful, 
or  very  unfortunate  ;  for  he  would  sometimes  lose  nine 
or  ten  crowns,  though  he  never  played  for  above  one 
at  a  time,  without  ever  doubling.     He  was  very  much 
vexed  when  he  was  such  a  loser  ;  which  happens  at  chess 
even  to  the  greatest  players,  for  the  manifest  reason, 
— that  it  does  not  depend  so  much  upon  chance,  and 
is  therefore  more  the  player's  own  fault  if  he  loses. 
When   he  lost,    and  it  happened  to  be  late  when  he 
gave  over  play,  and  the  wax  lights  were  almost  burned 
out,  he  would  get  up,  pull  his  hat  over  his  eyes,  and 
retire  without  bidding   his  adversary  "  Good  night  ;" 
but  when  he  won,  he  would  be  very  pleasant,  perhaps 
conduct   him   on   his  way,  or  command  his  pages  to 
light  and  wait  upon  him  to  his  lodgings. 

His  camp  soon  became  the  military  school  of  Europe, 
for  he  was  far  above  his  contemporaries,  not  only  as  a 
mere  soldier  in  the  field,  but  as  a  deep-thinking  man  on 
all  the  means  of  war  in  the  cabinet.  He  was  an  inven- 
tive man  also,  and  spared  no  cost  to  put  to  the  test 
any  invention  that  either  his  own  mind,  or  that  of  any 
other  officer,  suggested  ;  consequently  he  enriched  the 


MAURICE    OF    OHANGE-NASSAU.  51 

armoury  of  the  battle-field  with  many  additions  and 
improvements.  He  studied  the  science  of  strengthen- 
ing a  position  by  breastworks  and  other  simple  obsta- 
cles to  check  the  advance  of  an  enemy,  and  devised 
several  new  expedients  for  the  beleaguerment  of  similar 
obstacles  in  an  enemy ;  for  he  was  a  great  master  in 
the  science  of  attack  and  defence  of  fortified  places, 
so  far  as  the  art  had  advanced  in  his  days.  He  also 
invented  a  peculiar  pontoon  for  crossing  rivers.  He 
would  not  suffer  his  troops  to  wear  the  straight,  stiff 
boot,  adopted  in  his  time  from  the  French,  "  because," 
he  said,  "  it  took  his  men  sometimes  an  hour  to  get 
booted."  But  he  set  the  example  of  wearing  boots  so 
large,  that  a  man  could  almost  leap  into  them  ;  and  he 
thought  this  enabled  them  to  get  quicker  into  their 
saddles  in  moments  of  urgent  haste.  All  these  things 
proved  the  Prince  to  be  of  an  observing  mind,  and 
fertile  in  resources. 

He  gained  three  •victories  en  bataille  rangee ;    cap-  Prince 
tured  thirty-eight  fortresses,  besides  many  castles  and  ^en.ry.  , 
detached  forts ;  and  obliged  his   antagonists  to  raise  0f  Orange- 
twelve  sieges.     "  No  prince  ever  waged  war  with  more  Nassau, 
difficulties  and  greater  success.     No  son  more  closely 
imitated  Hamlet  in  his  deference  to  the  ghost   of  a 
father."    It  was  to  extend  the  objects  and  to  increase  the 
reputation  of  his  great   ancestor  that  he  continually 
acted  :  and  it  has  been  even  suggested  that  his  conduct 
towards  Barneveldt  was  with  the  endeavour  to  hold  a 
middle  balance  between  liberty  and  monarchy ;  not  for 
his  own  personal  ambition,  but  to  stop  the  contagion 
of  popular  excess.     He  was  succeeded  as  head  of  the 
house  of  Orange-Nassau,  and  in  the  Stadtholderate,  by 
his  brother  Henry  Frederick,  a  prince  of  good  mien  and 
a  very  great  captain,  who  secured  and  established  the 
commonwealth  of  the  Seven  United  Provinces  by  his 
valour,  and  governing  with  wisdom  and  equity  consum- 
mated the  independence  of  Holland. 

E  2 


AMBEOSIO,  MARQUIS  DE  SPINOLA, 

A  SPANISH  GENERAL. 


Born  1569.     Died  1633. 


This    great   warrior,  renowned   in   an    age   fertile  of  His  parent- 
heroes,  belonged  to   a  very   ancient   Genoese   family,  age.  an<| 
which  had  commanded   high  consideration    for    some  cation, 
centuries  in  that  famous  republic.     "When  Ferdinand, 
King  of  Spain,  reunited  the  kingdoms  of  Naples  and 
Sicily  under   his  sceptre,  and  Genoa,   Florence,    and 
Venice  remained  insulated  with  scanty  territories  in 
the  midst  of  this  monarchy,  their  inhabitants  looked 
very  much  to  the  King  of  Spain  as  the  great  luminary 
of  the  ascendant.    Ambrosio,  born  in  1569,  was  the  son 
of  a  Count  de  Benafro,  of  which  house  he  was  the  head. 
But  the  family  of  Spinola 1  was  originally  from  Milan 

1  The  family  of  Spinola  are  by  no  means  "  unknown  to  fame," 
for  besides  the  great  Marquis  and  his  brother  the  Admiral,  we 
meet  with  another  Marquis  commanding  for  the  King  of  Spain 


A.MBB08I0,    KIABQUIS    DE    M'INOLA. 

and  the  Montferrat,  on  the  confines  of  which  is  situated 
the  small  town  that  gives  them  the  name.  A  canlet 
of  the  house  had  in  a  former  generation  removed  to 
Genoa,  and,  although  ennobled,  appears  to  have  em- 
ployed the  family's  designation  in  the  vast  mercantile 
speculations  in  which  they  accumulated  much  wealth. 
After  his  father's  death  it  would  seem  that  Ambrosio 
contented  himself  with  the  occupations  of  his  com- 
mercial calling  at  home,  while  his  younger  brother, 
Frederick,  took  military  service  under  King  Philip  II. 
The  renown  obtained  by  the  younger  brother  in  his 
martial  career  first  roused  the  elder  brother's  ambition 
to  seek  similar  distinction,  and  with  this  view  he  em- 
ployed his  leisure  in  reading  the  best  military  authors, 
which  fed  his  enthusiasm  and  exalted  his  desire  for 
renown  ;  so  that  when  Frederick  arrived  at  his  paternal 
home  with  the  rank  and  consequence  of  a  vice-admiral 
of  Spain,  and  with  all  the  applause  of  glory  that  great 
success  naturally  obtained  from  his  townsmen,  Ambrosio 
could  no  longer  restrain  himself,  but  wrote  at  once  to 
offer  his  services  to  the  King  of  Spain.  They  were 
accepted,  and  he  raised  at  his  own  cost  in  a  couple  of 
months  a  corps  of  9000  troops,  which  had  either  been 
disbanded  from  other  armies,  or  were  ready  to  accept 
service  on  either  side  for  booty.  These  were  raised  after 
the  manner  of  the  old  condottieri,  upon  the  under- 
standing implied  or  stated  that  the  expense  of  raising 
them  should  be  afterwards  reimbursed  by  the  Spanish 
treasury.  With  the  force  accordingly  that  he  had 
raised,  he  appeared  at  their  head  in  Milan  in  the  month 
of  May,  1602. 

Spinola  provided  the  entire  means  himself  in  the  first 
instance  for  the  fitting  out  of  this  force,  and  he  occupied 
himself  assiduously  with  its  organization  and  discipline. 
His  two  friends,  Justiniani  and   Dentici,  commanded 

in  the  War  of  the  Succession,  who  defended  Messina  in  1719; 
and  there  was  another  of  the  same  name,  an  admiral,  who  com- 
manded the  Spanish  fleet  oil' the  Havannah  in  1749. 


AMBEOSIO,    MAEQUIS   DE    SPINOLA.  55 

the  two  brigades  of  which  the  army  consisted.  He 
evinced  the  solidity  of  his  understanding  by  the  care 
which  distinguished  these  troops  from  all  other  condot- 
tieri,  especially  in  respect  to  regularity  of  pay,  which  he 
rightly  deemed  to  be  the  foundation  of  all  discipline, 
but  which  had  been  too  fatally  departed  from  in  the 
organization  of  other  armies  at  this  period.  He  pro- 
bably was  indebted  to  commercial  friendship  and  con- 
nexions for  the  ability  to  pay  such  a  force,  but,  as  we 
shall  see  in  the  sequel,  it  was  very  much  on  this  cir- 
cumstance that  he  depended  for  military  success,  and 
that  it  was  to  the  regularity  that  he  instilled  into  the 
maintenance  of  his  little  army  that  he  was  very  much 
indebted  for  his  early  renown.  The  Spanish  cause  in 
the  Netherlands  had  greatly  waned  before  Prince 
Maurice  of  Nassau  when  Ambrosio  de  Spinola  reached 
the  royal  camp.  Time  had  elapsed,  for  he  had  had 
a  considerable  distance  to  march  with  his  new  levies 
before  he  could  reach  this  destination  out  of  Italy.  He 
took  his  way  across  the  Alps  and  through  Switzerland 
until  he  attained  the  province  of  Franche  Comte,  and 
thence,  passing  through  Lorraine  and  the  Duchy  of 
Luxemburg,  he  attained  the  camp  of  the  Archduke 
Albert,  Viceroy  of  the  Netherlands,  in  June,  1603. 
The  siege  of  Ostend  had  been  already  two  years  in 
progress,  and  Maurice,  having  failed  to  raise  it,  had 
made  an  inroad  into  Brabant,  with  a  view  of  making  a 
diversion,  after  which  he  had  sat  down  with  his  army 
before  Grave.  The  two  leaders  soon  came  in  presence, 
for  Spinola  endeavoured  to  open  the  campaign  by  an 
attempt  to  break  through  the  Dutch  hues ;  but  this 
debut  to  his  military  career  was  unsuccessful. 

This  contretems   at   the   first    start   was   especially  Siege  of 
untoward,  because  the  Spanish  army  in  the  Nether-  Ostend. 
lands  had  at  the  moment  lost  all  heart  in  their  cause, 
by  reason  of  their  long  continuance  of  ill  success,  and 
from  want  of    regularity    of   pay  :     a  generally    lax 
discipline  had  accordingly  been  induced,  under  which 


Ob  AMMIOSIU.     UASQUIS    JJE    SPINOLA. 

many  had  so  far  forgot  their  honour,  as  in  the 
very  presence  of  the  enemy  to  break  out  into  open 
revolt,  in  which  many  thousands  of  the  privates  had 
abandoned  their  colours.  It  was  therefore  a  bitter 
disappointment  to  the  Viceroy,  that  one  who  had 
evinced  so  much  ability,  and  had  acquired  so  just  a 
reputation  by  his  march  from  Italy,  should  have  in  the 
first  encounter  succumbed  to  Prince  Maurice.  The 
opportunity,  however,  proved  to  be  one  especially  cal- 
culated to  test  the  value  of  the  new  general's  character. 
In  spite  of  the  dangerous  infection  of  mutinous  bodies, 
Spinola's  army  remained  faithful  to  their  colours.  The 
help  that  he  brought  the  Archduke  by  this  example 
was  most  opportune,  and  he  was  forthwith  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  tainted  royal  army.  He  here 
evinced  a  degree  of  resolution  that  was  perfectly  new 
to  these  troops.  He  enforced  the  most  rigid  discipline, 
and  in  spite  of  the  murmurs  of  the  old  generals  who 
were  now  first  placed  under  his  command,  and  who 
had  hitherto  opposed  themselves  to  every  measure  of 
amelioration  and  reform,  he  showed  a  vigour  which 
at  first,  instead  of  moving  them,  increased  the  op- 
position to  his  authority.  He  dismissed  200  dis- 
contented officers  at  the  first  swoop,  discovered  that 
the  grievance  at  bottom  of  the  whole  was  arrears  of 
pay,  and  in  the  short  space  of  eight  days  he  settled  the 
whole  of  the  arrears ;  when  discipline  and  order  soon 
followed  these  honest,  bold,  and  judicious  proceedings. 
Spinola  ap-  It  was  just  at  this  juncture  that  his  brother 
theditf0  Frederick  met  with  his  death  near  Sluys,  in  the  en- 
conimaud     deavour  to  chase  the  Dutch  fleet  from  the  sea-board  of 

nih'arnT'  0stencL  The  new  King>  PhiliP  1IL>  was  s«  *eU  satis- 
of  the  Ne-  fied  with  the  report  made  to  him  of  the  Marquis's  pru- 
therlands.  dent  and  successful  suppression  of  the  mutiny,  that  he 
offered  him  the  post  vacant  by  his  brother's  death,  of 
Grand- Admiral  of  Spain ;  but  Spinola  had  the  good 
sense  to  decline  this  honourable  offer,  from  a  sense  of 
his  insufficiency  to  fulfil  it  efficiently  ;  and  the  King 


AMBItOSIO,    MAKQUIS    DE    SPENOLA.  57 

was  so  struck  with  the   General's   modesty,  that  he 
nominated  him  to  the  chief  command  of  his  army  in 
the  Netherlands,  above  Don  Francis  Mendoza,  Admiral 
of  Arragon,  under  whom  he  had  hitherto  served.     He 
resolved  as  his  first  measure  to  reduce  Ostend,  against 
which  the  Spanish  forces  had  been  engaged  for  nearly 
two  years.     With  a  view  of  being  more  in  measure  to 
succeed,  he  raised  some  new  regiments,  appointing  pro- 
bably some  of  the  dismissed   officers,  after   their  re- 
pentance, to  the  principal  ranks ;   and  in  those  days 
there  were  always  disbanded  mercenaries,  that  a  man 
with  money  in  his  hand  could  get  together.     He  went 
down  to   reconnoitre   the   fortress,  and    soon  evinced 
the  vigorous  element  of  his  character.     The  outlying 
posts  of  the  besieged  were  driven  in,  and  the  artillery 
brought  nearer  to  the  walls  of  the  beleaguered  town  ; 
the  batteries  were  armed   with    fresh    guns,  and  the 
trenches  were  repaired  and  shaped  anew.     He  caused 
new  chaussees  to  be  constructed  to  pass  across  the  inun- 
dations, and  he  determined  to  advance  by  the  mine  as 
well  as  by  the  breach.     By  these  combined  means,  and 
by  the  fire  he  opened  upon  the  body  of  the  place,  the 
ramparts  soon  became  untenable  ;  and  preparations  were 
made  to  advance  to  the  assault.     But  the  defenders 
had  become  tired  of  defensive  warfare,  which  has  in 
truth  a  depressing  effect  upon  men's  minds  generally. 
They  had  been  all  driven  in,   and  huddled  together 
amidst  ruins  and  unsafe  buildings,  and  there  seemed 
nothing  left  worth  fighting  for,  while  the  expense  of 
maintaining  Ostend  as  a  fortress  was  beyond  all  reason. 
It   was   determined    therefore   that   they    should   en- 
deavour to  make  such  terms  as  their  long  and  most 
glorious  opposition  justified  them  in  demanding,  and 
which  a  new  general,  like  Spinola,  intent  on  making 
his  services  of  value,  was  content  to  grant.     It  was  the 
14th  September,  1604,  when  4000  Dutch  surrendered 
the  walls  of  Ostend,  and  inarched  "  with  all  the  pride, 
pomp,  and  circumstance  of  war  "  through  the  besieging 


58  &MBBOSIO,    MA1JQUIS   DE   SPINOLA. 

forces  to  join  Maurice  of  Nassau,  who  had  just  obtained 
possession  of  Sluys.  This  garrison  bad  changed  their 
governors  four  times  during  the  siege  of  four  years 
and  sixty-four  days — two  of  whom  had  been  killed, 
one  severely  wounded,  and  the  survivor  signed  the 
capitulation  with  only  one  arm — they  had  been  shut 
up  within  the  walls,  at  an  expense  of  200,000  francs 
per  month,  and  18,000  of  their  gallant  brethren  bad 
succumbed  from  the  casualties  of  war  and  disease. 
But  the  Spaniards  were  thought  to  have  exhausted 
their  treasures,  in  the  endeavour  to  possess  it,  to  the 
extent  of  two  millions,  and  of  threescore  thousand  men. 
The  smock  of  the  Archduchess  Isabel  was  now  sent  to 
the  dyer,  and  an  immortality  given  to  a  new  hue  of 
those  of  the  rainbow,  while  Marquis  Spinola  received 
the  Archduke  Albert  in  the  midst  of  the  smoking  de- 
vastation, and  formally  delivered  into  his  hands  the 
keys  of  the  captured  fortress. 
The  sur-  This  achievement  conferred  so  great  a  renown  on 

rwltIi0f     ^ne  Crenei*ab  that  the  King  of  Spain  desired  to  make 
Spinola  re-  bis  acquaintance,  and  to  confer  upon  him  with  his  own 
ceives  the    hand   the    guerdon   he    designed  to  bestow.     Spinola 
Golden        therefore  repaired  to  Madrid  at  the  commencement  of 
Fkece.         1005,  and   was   duly  invested  Avith  the  order  of  the 
Golden  Fleece,  and  created  Conde  de  Yolgera,  and  a 
grandee  of  Spain.     He  had  very  nearly  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  some  of  the  free  corps,  who  thronged  every 
highway  of  France  at  this  period ;  but,  nevertheless, 
he  determined,  after  settling  with  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment the  necessary  business  that  the  important  com- 
mand to  which  he  was  ordered  to  return  imposed  upon 
him,  to  accept  the  invitation  of  Henry  IV.  to  pay  him 
a  visit  at  the  French  capital.     The  artful  monarch, 
who,  under  the  guise  of  great  merriment  and  cheerful- 
ness, had  some  knowledge  of  kingcraft,  desired  to  learn 
what  was  the  plan  for  the  next  campaign ;  and  while 
receiving  the  Spanish  general  with  the  greatest  honour, 
sounded  him   on   this  point.      It  was  of,  course   well 


AMBBOSIO,    MARQUIS    DE    SPINOLA.  59 

known  that  France  was  the  ally  of  Holland,  and  His. 
Majesty  therefore  went  warily  to  work,  and  took  for 
granted  that  Spinola  would  impose  upon  him  as  in- 
formation the  direct  contrary  to  the  plan  projected. 
But,  in  the  frankness  of  the  Marquis's  character,  he 
stated  openly  his  intentions,  which  were  forthwith 
communicated  to  Holland  as  the  certain  evidence  of 
what  was  not  to  be  credited ;  so  that  the  King,  when 
he  afterwards  found  out  his  mistake,  remarked,  "  Les 
autres  trompent  en  mentant,  mais  celui-ci  trompe  en 
disant  vrai." 

The  army  under  the  command  of  Spinola  in  1605  Spinola 
consisted  of  40,000  excellent  troops,  and  with  these  he  J^PWnoe 
forthwith  took  the  field  against  Prince  Maurice.     He  Maurice  for 

had  given  his  counsel  in  Spain  that  the  revolted  Pro-  *ne  nias' 

tcrv 
vinces  were  not  to  be  attacked  amidst  their  water  de- 
fences ;  for  that  the  country  was  easily  rendered  inacces- 
sible, except  through  very  strong  works  of  attack,  that 
would  involve  great  delays  and  loss  of  life ;  but  that 
by  advancing  on  the  side  of  Guelderland,  the  country 
was  of  a  very  different  character,  and  of  easier  access. 
Maurice  was,  however,  quite  prepared  to  oppose  his  ad- 
versary on  either  line,  and  both  leaders  evinced  during 
the  years  1606,   1607,   and   1608,  military  resources 
quite  new  to  the  art  of  war  in  previous  centuries,  but 
which  were  not  productive  of  great  events.    The  Stadt- 
holder  adopted  a  policy  purely  defensive,  so  as  to  avoid 
any  thing  that  might  produce  a  crisis ;  and  Spinola, 
with  a  noble  and  soldierly  spirit,  made  it  the  object  of 
his  command  to  bridle  the  disorders  of  his  condottieri, 
and  to  adopt  a  course  quite  contrary  to  that  pursued 
by  the  adventurers  who  brought  their  hired  swords  at 
the  cost  of  committing  every  enormity  on  the  unhappy 
peasantry  amongst  whom  they  passed,  either  as  friends 
or  enemies.   At  length,  in  1609,  the  Marquis  received  the 
commands  of  his  Court  to  propose  an  accommodation 
to  the  revolted  Provinces.     The   class  of  negotiators 
who  at  first  undertook  to  settle  the  basis  of  a  treaty, 


60  AM13ROS10,    MAKyUIS    i)K    SPINOLA. 

was  not  at  all  suited  to  so  delicate  an  undertaking. 
The  simple  boors  of  the  marsh  lands  of  Holland,  though 
guided  by  the  ability  of  such  men  as  Barneveldt  and 
Grotius,  were  as  wide  as  the  poles  asunder  from  the 
refined,  artful,  and  experienced  diplomacy  of  Spain, 
and  matters  proceeded  slowly.  But  when  Maurice 
and  Spinola  at  length  met  at  the  Hague,  the  Prince, 
descending  from  his  carriage,  courteously  handed  his 
great  rival  into  it,  when  the  two  great  antagonists  in 
a  single  hour  settled  all  the  matters  in  dispute,  in  a 
manner  that  Castilian  pride  and  democratic  impor- 
tunity would  never  have  arrived  at.  The  truce  of 
Treves  was  thus  concluded — 1610. 

Spinola  in-      During  the  continuance  of  this  truce,   Spinola   in 

vades    Bo-         .  ,  ,  .        ,  .    .      „  .  .    r 

hernia :  ad-  vam  endeavoured  to  obtain  from  the  Spanish  Govern- 

dress  to  bis  ment  the  remuneration  of  the  expenses  of  maintaining 
oops"         his   troops,  which    pressed  heavily  on  his  private  re- 
sources.   But  in  the  midst  of  these  negotiations,  which 
carried  him  more  than  once  backwards  and  forwards  to 
Madrid  and  Brussels,  both  King  Philip  III.  and  the 
Viceroy,  the  Archduke  Albert,  died.    The  Archduchess 
Isabel,  however,   entreated  Spinola  to  remain  in  the 
command  of  the  Spanish  army  ;  for  the  Emperor  Ferdi- 
nand had  urged  on  her  an  application  for  some  assistance 
in  his  war  against  the  troops  of  the  Protestant  Union 
in  Germany  ;  and  accordingly,  in  August,  1620,  Spinola 
crossed  the  Rhine  with  an  army  of  nearly  30,000  men, 
and  entered  the  dominions  of  the  unfortunate  Kinir  of 
Bohemia.     I  derive  from  a  manuscript   letter  in  the 
Bodleian  Library  the  following  specimen  of  the  Spanish 
style  of  eloquence,  and  the  nature  of  the  orders  of  the 
day  of  the  period  addressed  to  their  troops.    It  is  styled, 
"  Oration  made  by  Monsieur  Spinola  to  his  army  when 
he  brake  the  bridge  of  boats  over  the  Ehine  near  the 
confines  of  the  Palatinate. — '  Jactamur  (?)   et  alea. — 
And  as  Julius  Cajsar  when  he  passed  the  river  in  Italy 
set  up  his  resolution  to  put  up  for  the  Roman  Empire 
or  to  die  under  the  attempt ;  so,  though  there  be  great 


AHBEOSIO,    MAEQUIS    DE    SPINOLA.  61 

difference  in  the  enterprise  and  far  more  in  the  person, 
yet  I  will  with  your  help  and  the  sword,  make  my 
passage  through  this  country  before  us,  and  possess  it ; 
and,  as  I  shall  receive  commandment  from  my  King  to 
join  with  the  Imperial  army  in  a  contest  which  I  un- 
dertake for  the  Catholic  religion,  and  for  the  just  rights 
of  the  Emperor,  you  shall  not  want  for  any  thing, 
having,  as  ye  well  know,  brought  sufficient  treasure 
with  me.  And  for  a  testimony  of  my  love  to  you,  and 
of  my  confidence  in  you,  I  will  expressly  give  order 
that  you  have  two  months'  pay  beforehand,  which  shall 
be  paid  unto  you  before  you  pass  any  further  upon  my 
service.  We  are  seven  and  twenty  thousand  men  at 
arms  by  muster ;  better  men  the  world  cannot  afford. 
Of  these,  above  three-fourths  have  met  the  enemy  in 
the  face.  All  are  valiant  and  loyal,  and  sithence  the 
eye  of  all  the  Christian  world  and  more  is  upon  us,  let 
us,  for  God's  sake  and  our  own,  effect  things  worthy 
of  so  valorous  an  army.  So  I  commend  you  all  and 
our  endeavours  to  the  affection  of  the  Almighty.' ' 

But  Spinola  was  shortly  summoned  back  again  to-  The  siege 
wards  the  Netherlands,  owing  to  the  increased  im-  °  Zoom. " 
portance  assumed  by  the  dispute  touching  the  succes- 
sion to  the  Duchy  of  Cleves,  and  to  the  preparations 
making  by  Holland  against  the  termination  of  the  ten 
years'  truce  in  1621.  In  the  first  months  of  the  new  year 
(1622),  however,  Spinola  again  took  the  field  against 
Prince  Maurice,  and  obtained  Reede  by  storm  and  Juliers 
by  capitulation,  and  in  the  following  October  he  sat  down 
before  Bergen-op-Zoom.  The  Stadtholder,  however,  was 
at  the  moment  strong  enough  in  force  to  resist  this  ope- 
ration, and  he  obliged  the  Marquis  to  raise  the  siege, 
and  to  retire  to  take  up  his  winter  quarters  about 
Antwerp.  After  having  raised  the  siege  of  Bergen-op- 
Zoom,  Maurice,  Prince  of  Orange,  laid  a  plan  for  the 
surprise  of  Antwerp ;  but  heaven  and  the  winds  were 
opposed  to  his  design.  The  undertaking  was  never- 
theless well  laid,  and  he  promised  to  himself  a  happy 


62  LMBEOSIO,    MABQTJIS   DE    SPINOLA. 

issue.  But  it  will  tend  to  show  the  burden  of  his 
mind  when  he  said,  "  he  had  given  good  order  for  every 
thing,  and  God  alone  hindered  its  success." 

Capture  of  When  the  reports  of  these  matters  reached  Philip 
IV.  in  Spain,  he  was  disposed  to  entertain  some  pre- 
judice against  his  General,  and  took  on  himself  to  give 
his  own  directions  for  the  war,  without  consult [ng 
Spinola.  His  Majesty  directed  that  Breda  should  be 
besieged ;  and  when  it  was  represented  that  it  was 
needful  to  make  many  preparations  for  an  operation  of 
that  magnitude,  the  King  sat  down  and  wrote  this 
laconic  order  to  his  General ; — "  Marquis,  take  Breda  " 
— "  Yo — El  Bey."  In  obedience  to  this  imperative 
command,  Spinola  suddenly  invested  that  place  on  the 
18th  of  August,  1624,  greatly  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  garrison,  and  not  a  little  to  the  surprise  of 
Maurice,  who  endeavoured  to  avert  the  operation 
by  manoeuvring.  But  Spinola  completely  foiled  the 
Prince  in  the  field,  and  besieged  Breda  in  spite  of  all 
the  Dutch  Stadtholder  could  do  to  prevent  it,  and  the 
siege  of  it  has  ever  been  regarded  as  his  most  illus- 
trious action.  Breda  capitulated  to  Spinola  on  the  5th 
of  June,  1625.  This  success  added  immensely  to  his 
military  reputation,  and  not  a  little  gratified  his 
Sovereign,  who  had  insisted  upon  it.  But  it  did  not  ob- 
tain for  him  from  the  Spanish  treasury  the  repayments 
he  continually  urged,  and  he  eventually  became  so 
troublesome  from  his  importunity,  that  the  Spanish 
Government,  notwithstanding  his  renommee,  recalled 
him  from  the  command  of  the  Spanish  army  in  1627. 

Spinola  re-      The  Marquis  wTas  not  over-pleased  with  this  proceed- 

sitsthe  '  *"»'  wmcu  h°  deemed  to  be  an  intrigue  of  the  Court 
ofRo-  against  him,  and  therefore  repaired  to  Madrid  to  re- 

'  ,"'llc>  monstrate  against  it.  But  on  his  way  he  was  tempted 
to  turn  aside  to  the  siege  of  Rochelle,  then  besieged 
by  Louis  XIII.  in  person.  The  King  received  Spinola 
with  much  distinction,  and  conducted  him  through  the 
French  lines,  on  which  occasion  he  made  the  remark, 


AMBROSIO,    MARQUIS    DE    SPINOLA.  63 

which  was  probably  suggested  by  the  interference  with 
his  plans  in  the  field  by  the  feeble  Philip  IV.,  "La 
presence  de  V.  M.  rend  la  noblesse  Francaise  infati- 
gable  et  invincible :  j'ai  le  chagrin  de  n'avoir  jamais 
eu  Le  Roi  rnon  maitre  pour  temoin  de  ce  que  j'ai  fait 
pour  son  service."  Cardinal  Richelieu,  who  was  also 
present  with  the  French  army,  consulted  him  confi- 
dentially on  the  best  means  of  bringing  the  siege  to 
an  early  conclusion  ;  and  Spinola  gave  his  opinions  in 
the  openness  of  his  character  freely,  and  to  the  best 
of  his  judgment.  But,  when  he  reached  Madrid,  the 
Spanish  Minister,  Olivarez,  would  have  sent  him  to 
Rochelle  with  a  considerable  force  to  the  aid  of  the 
besieged,  when  he  refused  the  task,  saying,  "  I  have 
both  witnessed  in  person  the  works  of  the  besiegers 
by  the  King  himself,  and  advised  with  the  Minister 
how  the  works  might  best  be  carried  on ;  so  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  me  in  honour  to  undertake 
such  a  command." 

In  1629,  Spain  was  engaged  in  a  war  in  Italy  to  ob-  The  siege 
tain  some  objects  for  the  Duke  of  Savoy  in  opposition  of  Casal. 
to  France,  and  Marquis  Spmola  was  sent  by  .Philip  a^h, 
IV.  against  an  army  commanded  by  the  Duke  de 
Nevers.  He  was  not  at  all  satisfied  on  his  arrival  at 
the  seat  of  war  with  the  condition  of  the  army  he 
was  sent  to  command,  or  with  the  amount  of  means 
placed  at  his  disposal ;  nevertheless,  he  undertook 
towards  the  close  of  the  year  the  siege  of  Casal.  This 
brought  Louis  XIII.  into  the  field  in  person,  with  an 
increase  of  force ;  and  Spinola  demanded  reinforce- 
ments to  oppose  him.  Awaiting  these,  he  was  obliged 
to  raise  the  siege  he  had  undertaken,  and  in  the  spirit 
of  his  genius  occupied  himself  with  the  task  of  re- 
modelling the  materiel  of  his  army  ;  so  that  before  the 
end  of  the  year,  when  Marshal  Bassompierre  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command  of  the  French  forces,  he  again 
sat  down  before  Casal,  and  obtained  possession  of  the 
town,  but  could  not  succeed  against  the  citadel,  where 


^  AMBROSIO,    MARQUIS    DE    SPINOLA. 

M.  de  Thoiras  braved  all  his  endeavours,  while  his  ene- 
mies at  the  Spanish  Court  opposed  all  his  applications 
for  increased  resources.  He  considered  it  of  great 
importance  to  terminate  the  campaign  by  some  success 
before  the  French  King  could  return  back  to  Italy, 
and  when  this  was  denied  him,  he  said  in  his  vexation 
"  that  he  believed  he  wras  sent  into  his  own  Italy  for 
the  destruction  of  the  reputation  he  had  achieved  else- 
where." He  nevertheless  persevered,  and  was  enabled 
to  keep  the  field  for  Spain  by  the  ability  of  his  mea- 
sures, so  that  at  length,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1631, 
he  succeeded  in  entering  into  terms  with  M.  de  Thoiras, 
and  in  obtaining  possession  of  the  citadel  of  Casal, 
which  was  followed  by  the  peace  of  Cherasco. 

Vexed  and  disappointed,  however,  by  the  bitterness 
and  increasing  hostility  of  the  Court  of  Spain,  Spinola 
remained  in  Italy,  and  died  of  a  broken  heart  at  Castel 
Xuovo  de  Scrivia,  25th  of  September  following,  in 
great  agitation  grasping  the  King's  letters  in  his  hand, 
and  exclaiming  day  and  night,  "  M'hanno  levato  honore. 
Me  han  quittado  la  honra."  "  They  have  filched  away 
my  honour2."  The  Spaniards  had  indeed  behaved 
to  him  with  great  ingratitude.  They  had  refused 
to  the  last  to  defray  the  debts  which  he  had  incurred 

2  These  dying  words  of  Spinola  arc  recorded  in  a  curious  pam- 
phlet in  the  British  Museum,  entitled  "  Les  Entretiens  des  Champs 
Elysees,  mdcxxxi."  The  Marquis  is  represented  as  falling  foul, 
in  descending  to  the  Shades,  with  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  whom  he 
abuses  roundly  for  withholding  support  from  him  in  the  siege  of 
Casal ;  and  this  produces  such  a  row  that  the  "  infernal "  police 
are  about  to  apprehend  the  Marquis,  and  take  him  before  Bha- 
damanthus  for  punishment,  only  that  he  pleads  that  he  is  an 
Italian,  and  not  one  of  the  Spaniards  who  are  in  general  so 
uppish.  The  confusion  brings  forward  all  the  late  arrivals  in  the 
place,— Henry  IV.,  the  Duke  of  Alva,  the  Duke  of  Parma,  and 
other  Cardinals  and  officers,  and  they  discuss  at  some  length  the 
politics  of  Europe.  Henry  IV.  calls  Spinola  by  the  name  of  Le 
Strigio,  which  may  have  been  his  pet  name  among  his  comrades 
when  commanding  in  the  flesh ;  for  most  generals  receive  a  simi- 
lar compliment  from  their  soldiers. 


AMBROSIO,    MARQUIS    DE    SPINOLA.  G5 

for  the  support  of  the  army,  and  had  even  sequestered 
some  estates  he  had  purchased :  so  that  his  son  was 
seriously  injured  in  his  property,  and  even  the  just 
reputation  of  the  hero  had  been  assailed  by  the  proud 
Castilians  because  he  was  a  foreigner. 

Marquis  Ambrosio  de  Spinola  was,  doubtless,  one  of  Spinola's 
the  ablest  generals  of  his  time,  not  even  inferior  to  c  aracter- 
his  great  adversary,  Maurice  of  Nassau.  As  a  military 
administrator  he  had  in  those  days  no  rival.  By 
nature  and  education  a  man  of  accounts,  he  was  the 
acme  of  all  order,  and  severe  in  his  regularity  in  every 
thing.  It  was  the  confidence  entertained  by  his  sol- 
diery in  the  certainty  of  regular  payments  that  attached 
them  to  him  the  more  surely  at  a  time  when  merce- 
naries formed  the  staple  of  all  armies,  who  understood  as 
part  of  their  engagement  that  their  remuneration  teas 

"  the  simple  plan — 
That  they  should  get  who  had  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep  who  can." 

But  there  was  nothing  mean  in  Spinola's  organiza- 
tion, for  he  evinced  during  his  whole  career  a  gene- 
rosity that  was  very  remarkable,  and  which  was  often 
extended  towards  his  enemies  as  well  as  friends,  if  he 
deemed  them  deserving  of  it — a  course  of  conduct 
which  even  the  Tillys  and  Wallensteins  were  incapable 
of  appreciating.  He  was  not  only  a  lover  and  prac- 
tiser  of  order  in  his  payments,  but  also  of  his  time,  of 
which,  having,  of  course,  a  great  deal  to  do,  he  was  a 
most  careful  dispenser ;  so  that  on  hearing  one  day  of 
one  who  had  died  from  the  want  of  something  to  do, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Alas !  that  would  be  enough  to  kill 
the  stoutest  general  of  us  all:  for  although  idleness 
has  been  placed  by  some  visionary  writers  among  the 
beatitudes  of  heaven,  I  should  rather  be  disposed  to 
number  it  among  the  torments  of  hell."  He  was, 
however,  deficient  in  one  very  useful  quality  for  a 
military  leader, — he  lacked  calmness.     He  is  said  to 

F 


66  (LMBBOSTO,    M.VKQUTS   BE   SPINOLA. 

have  been  Lean  in  figure,  yel  a  celebrated  picture  of 
him  by  Rubens  makes  him  stout.  He  is  spoken  of  as 
drj  and  choleric  in  disposition,  and  one  who  could  never 
sleep  day  or  night  if  lie  had  any  urgent  business  on  his 
spirits.  He  began  his  career  of  arms  when  he  had 
passed  the  age  of  thirty;  and  when  he  undertook  the 
command  of  armies  his  knowledge  of  the  art  of  war 
had  been  entirely  obtained  from  books.  Naturally  a 
man  of  bravery  and  resolution,  his  commercial  habits 
had  inspired  a  principle  of  rule  that  engendered  order, 
and  his  extensive  reading  gave  him  the  knowledge  of 
the  resources  that  had  been  employed  by  those  who 
had  gone  before  him,  so  that  he  appeared  in  the  field 
ready  equipped  for  war,  as  if  ready  armed,  like  Minerva 
from  the  brain  of  Jupiter.  Spinola  is  almost  the  last 
of  the  great  Spanish  commanders,  who  up  to  this  period 
have  obtained  renown  in  military  history.  Since  the 
fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries  the  military  per- 
formances of  the  Spanish  armies  have  very  much  fallen 
in  professional  repute.  Spinola  was  hardly  sufficiently 
valued  by  his  own  Sovereigns,  Philip  III.  and  IV.,  but 
was  very  highly  esteemed  by  Henry  IV.,  Louis  XIII., 
and  by  the  Viceroy  of  the  Netherlands,  as  well  as  by 
his  great  opponent,  Maurice  of  Nassau.  His  first  and 
greatest  act,  the  capture  of  Ostend,  placed  him  high 
amongst  those  who  had  signalized  themselves  in  such 
operations,  because  that  place  had  stubbornly  resisted 
ab1  the  great  resources  of  Spain  for  a  period  that  exceeds 
the  duration  of  almost  every  other  siege  on  record 3. 

3  Tlic  reputation  of  Spinola  has  been  not  inelegantly  delineated 
by  a  poet  of  his  own  time. 

"  Anna  aniens  petit,  armatis  trepida  undique  eingi 
Castra  putat  Francosque  suo  cum  rcge  ruentes 
vEgra  mente  videt ;  patriamque  elatus  in  urbem 
Post  tot  devictos  populos,  tot  bella,  tot  hostes, 
Oppida  tot,  tot  castra,  urbesque,  arcesque  subactas, 
Yiiicituv  a  fato  invictus,  vita>que  supremam 
Hie  ubi  primam  liausit,  clausit  Dux  Spinola  lucem." 

Kriegs-Kunst    Lexikon  ;    Biographic    Univcrselle ;    Russell's 
Modern  Europe. 


ERNEST,  COUNT  MANSFELD, 

A  GERMAN  GENERAL. 


Bom  1585.     Died  1626. 


The  family  of  Mansfeld  was  of  very  high  antiquity  in  Birth,  pa- 
the  Duchy  of  Magdeburg,  and  one  of  the  family  (who  renta?e> 
was  afterwards  slain  in  battle)  had  been  ennobled  for  education, 
his  bravery  by  the  Emperor  Henry  V.,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  twelfth  century.    His  descendant,  Peter  Ernest,  was 
an  able  soldier  and  servant  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V., 
whom  he  accompanied  on  his  expedition  into  Africa ; 
and  in  after  years  he  obtained  such  consideration  from 
his  Sovereign,  as  for  a  short  time  after  the  death  of  the 
Duke  of  Parma  to  be  appointed  Governor- General  of 
the  Netherlands.     He  was  subsecpiently  raised  to  the 
dignity  of  a  Prince  of  the  Empire,  which  honour  de- 
scended to  his  legitimate  son,  who  died  soon  after  his 
father  ;  when  this  event  terminated  the  princely  house. 
The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  to  the   Prince 

p  2 


68  EBNKBT,  COUNT  MANSFELD. 

Mansfeld  from  a  lady  of  Malines  in  1585,  and  was 
named  Ernest,  not  after  his  putative  father,  hut,  for 
some   eause    or   other,  from  the   Archduke   Ernest,   a 
brother   of  the    Emperor.      He   was   brought   up    at 
Brussels  in   the    religion  of  his  mother ;  but  highly 
important  to  every  man's  prosperity  or  adversity  as  dis- 
tinctions of  religion  were,  especially  in  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries,  and  deeply  as  they  coloured  a 
man's   career,   it   is  lamentable  to  think   how  loosely 
principles  of  faith  and  practice  sat  on  men  of  the  highest 
position  in  those  days,  although  they  appeared  ready  at 
all  times  to  risk  their  life-blood  in  constant  danger  in 
the  field  as  in  the  city  for  the  sake  of  what  they  termed 
their  "religion."     Peter  Ernest,  the  putative  father, 
was  believed  to  have  imbibed   the  principles   of  the 
Reformation,  but  had   in   policy   remained  a  Papist ; 
while  Ernest,  the  illegitimate  son,  cast  off  the  religion 
of  his  childhood  and  became  a  Protestant. 
Sides  with        The  young  Mansfeld  made  his  first  campaigns  in 
the  Elector  the  service  of  the  Emperor  before  Juliers,  and  in  Alsace, 
and  subsecpiently  acquired  distinction  in  the  wars  of 
the  Netherlands  under  Spinola,  and  in  Hungary  under 
the  banner   of  the  Archduke    Leopold ;    and  he  was 
legitimated  by  the  Emperor  Rudolph  II.  for  his  bravery 
in  the  field.      On  the  death  of  his  father,  or  brother,  or 
both,  which  terminated  the  legitimate  line  of  Mansfeld, 
he  was  refused  the  grant  of  his  paternal  possessions ; 
contrary,  as  it  has  been  alleged,  to  the  Imperial  promise  : 
and  from  that  moment  he  repudiated  his  allegiance  to 
the  Emperor,  and  accepted  service  under  the  Duke  of 
Savoy  as  a  mercenary  adventurer,  ready  to  carry  the 
baton  of  command  to  any  one.    In  1610,  the  Duke  gave 
him  his  dismission  from  the  service  of  Savoy,  when  he 
created  him  Marcpiis  of  Castel-Nuovo.   Mansfeld  did  not, 
however,  permit  his  bitter  anger  against  the  Emperor  to 
cool  by  distance,  but  as  soon  as  the  Protestant  Union  of 
Germany  required  a  leader  to  oppose  the  Imperial  troops, 
he  accepted  the  post  of  Generalissimo,  and  suddenly  and 


EBNEST,  COUNT  MANSFELD.  69 

quite  unexpectedly  appeared  in  Bohemia  at  the  head  of 

14,000mercenaries,to  uphold  the  new  and  rickety  throne 

of  Frederick,  the  Elector  Palatine.      By  what  motives 

he  was  actuated  at  this  very  earliest  movement  of  the 

Thirty  Years'  War  is  not  very  certain ;  the  ruin  and 

overthrow  of  the  unfortunate  King  of  Bohemia  was 

consummated  on  the  Weissenfels   at  the   first  onset, 

yet  Mansfeld  remained  passive  in  his  camp  at  Pilsen 

during  its  consummation,  leaving  his  royal  master  to  fly 

and  beg  his  bread.     The  reason  assigned  was  said  to  be 

that  Mansfeld  would  not  serve  under  the  Princes  of 

Anhalt  and  Hohenlohen.     At  all  events,  left  without 

assistance  after  the  battle  of  Prague  by  the  unfortunate 

Elector  King  (to  whose  service  he  had  devoted  himself), 

and  uncertain  whether  Frederick  would  thank  him  for 

his  perseverance  or  otherwise,  he  moved  his  army  into 

the   town  of  Pilsen,   and  there  "on  his  own  hook" 

defied  the  whole  power  of  the  Emperor  for  some  time. 

The  state  of  the  contest  at  this  period  was  this : —  The  Elee- 

The  Estates  of  Bohemia,  Silesia,  Moravia,  Hungary,  tor.ofBa- 

'  *  '  o     j  >  yaria  sides 

Austria,  Styria,  Carniola,  and  Carinthia— all  hereditary  with  the 
possessions  of  the  house  of  Hapsburg — actuated  by  the  Emperor, 
principles  of  the  Reformed  religion,  had  confederated 
against  their  Sovereign  Ferdinand,  who  had  announced 
on  his  accession  to  the  empire,  in  1617,  that  the  pro- 
gramme of  his  policy  was, — "  Better  to  rule  over  a 
desert  than  a  country  full  of  heretics,"  and  who  had 
made  vows  both  at  Loretto  and  Borne  to  his  generalis- 
sima,  the  Holy  Virgin,  to  extend  her  worship  even  at 
the  risk  of  his  crown  and  his  life.  John  George,  the 
Elector  of  Saxony,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  German 
Protestants  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  Elector  of  Bavaria 
sided  with  the  Emperor,  and  brought  an  army  to  his 
aid,  commanded  by  the  celebrated  Tilly.  Ferdinand, 
unable  to  obtain  troops  from  his  hereditary  dominions, 
who  were  in  arms  against  him,  raised  troops  in  Italy, 
Spain,  and  the  remote  extremities  of  the  empire,  and 
placed  one  army  under  the  command  of  Dampierre,  a 


70  i:km:st,  count  mansfeld. 

Frenchman,  and  another  under  a  Spaniard,  an  adven- 
turer of  the  name  of  Boucquoi.  The  former  was  slain 
early  in  the  war  at  Presburg,  but  the  latter  encountered 
Mansfeld  at  Pilsen,  who  for  some  time  held  out  against 
the  Imperialist  General,  until  Mansfeld' s  army,  mutiny- 
ing for  want  of  pay,  would  have  sold  him  to  the  enemy, 
but  that  he  saw  the  strait  to  which  he  was  reduced  in 
time,  and  fled.  Undismayed  by  this  issue,  he  collected 
the  disbanded  troops  of  the  Union,  and  in  a  short  time 
assembled  a  new  army  of  20,000  men  under  his  banners, 
with  which  he  entered  the  Upper  Palatinate.  The  Duke 
of  Bavaria  followed  him  thither  so  pertinaciously,  that 
he  was  compelled  to  retire  into  the  Lower  Palatinate, 
where  the  Bavarian  General,  Tilly,  already  awaited  him. 
But  eluding  further  pursuit  fx'om  both  antagonists  by 
a  successful  stratagem,  he  suddenly  fell  upon  the  church 
lands  near  the  Rhine,  and  inflicted  upon  them  unheard- 
of  severities.  Being  deserted  by  those  who  had  engaged 
him  in  the  service,  or  driven  by  the  negligence  of  the 
fugitive  Protestant  princes  to  every  kind  of  difficulty  in 
supplying  the  necessities  of  a  large  army,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  maintain  his  troops  by  such  universal  pillage  as 
acquired  for  him  the  name  of  the  Attila  of  Christianity. 
ManstVkl  The  swrarm  that  had  alighted  on  their  possessions 

protects  induced  the  Sovereign  Bishops  to  implore  the  presence 
Bohemia.  °f  ^ne  Spanish  General  Corduba,  who  had  succeeded 
to  the  command  of  the  Netherlands  army ;  and  he, 
hastily  raising  the  siege  of  Frankenthal,  marched 
across  the  Rhine ;  when  Mansfeld,  unable  to  cope  with 
such  a  force,  led  his  needy  followers  into  Alsace,  to 
seek  for  shelter  and  subsistence :  where,  by  wasting 
the  country  into  frightful  deserts,  and  forcing  the 
cities  to  purchase  an  exemption  from  pillage  by  enor- 
mous contributions,  he  became  sufficiently  reinforced 
to  take  the  field  again,  and  to  afford  shelter  to  the  un- 
fortunate Frederick,  King  of  Bohemia,  to  whose  terri- 
tory, in  the  Lower  Palatinate,  he  now  marched  to  give 
protection.   Tilly  accordingly  came  against  him,  and  en- 


EENEST,  COUNT  MANSFELD.  71 

ffao-ed  him  at  Wisloeh  and  Minsjelsheim  in  a  murderous  Is  dismiss- 

1    +* . 

action,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  the  mercenaries  of  j^  m 
Christian,  Duke  of  Brunswick,  and  administrator  ofmaud. 
Halberstadt.  Amidst  this  posse  of  reckless  adven- 
turers a  band  gathered  around  the  wretched  Frederick, 
which  acknowledged  him  indeed  as  Lord,  and  dignified 
itself  by  his  name,  but  yielded  him  neither  power  to 
oppose  to  the  Emperor,  whom  he  had  so  desperately 
offended,  nor  to  obtain  for  him  any  terms.  At  length, 
through  the  intervention  of  his  father-in-law,  James  I. 
of  England,  he  was  brought  to  seek  the  Imperial  cle- 
mency, and  to  dismiss  Mansfeld  and  Duke  Christian 
from  his  service,  while  the  unfortunate  Prince  himself 
retired  into  Holland  to  await  Ferdinand's  mercy,  who 
however  gave  him  no  hope  that  the  Palatinate  should 
ever  again  be  restored  to  his  dominion,  for  he  had 
already  disposed  of  it  in  favour  of  the  Duke  of  Bavaria. 

Both  Mansfeld  and  Duke  Christian  were  now  at  a  loss  A  price  is 
for  some  new  master.  The  cause  of  the  Palatinate  had  his  jjj^ 
never  affected  them  in  the  slightest  degree,  for  it  was 
nothing  to  a  mercenary  whom  he  served,  and  accord- 
ing then-  dismissal  did  not  disarm  them.  War  was 
the  object  of  such  adventurers,  and  it  was  a  matter  of 
perfect  indifference  to  them  in  whose  cause  it  was  waged. 
After  some  vain  attempts  on  the  part  of  Mansfeld  to 
be  received  into  the  Emperor's  service,  Ferdinand  let 
loose  against  him  the  full  outburst  of  his  anger,  and  on 
the  20th  of  February,  1621,  placed  him  under  the  ban 
of  the  Empire,  and  set  a  price  upon  Ins  head.  He 
suffered,  however,  in  good  company ;  for  by  the  same 
decree  738  of  the  Protestant  German  nobility  were 
deprived  of  their  estates  ;  the  value  of  which  spoliations 
was  estimated  at  forty  millions  of  thalers.  . 

Mansfeld,  though  lying  under  the  ban  of  the  Empire,  Is  employ - 
ii  i     i      i        j  ed  by  the 

without  country,  estates,  or  money,  had  already  ren-  Dutph 

dered  his  name  so  famous  by  his  spirit  and  enterprise,  against Spi- 

and  by  his  singular  faculty  of  recovering  himself  after  nola- 

the  most  signal  reverses — recruiting  new  armies,  and 


EENEST,    COT  NT    MAXSFELD. 


moving  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning  from  province  to 
province,  and  kingdom  to  kingdom — that  he  found 
himself  and  his  services  soon  coveted  by  the  Protest- 
ants of  every  State.  The  French  Huguenots,  under 
tho  Duke  de  Bouillon,  first  offered  to  take  him  into 
pay,  and  he  commenced  his  march  into  Lorraine  to 
join  him.  But  Bouillon  was  persuaded  to  abandon  the 
Protestant  cause,  and  to  make  his  terms  with  Louis 
XIII.  In  this  emergency  Mansfeld  came  across  a 
Spanish  army  under  Gonzalez,  and  a  Boyalist  French 
army  under  the  Duke  de  Nevers,  with  whom  he  fought 
a  bloody  and  indecisive  battle,  which,  hoAvever,  did  not 
check  him  from  pursuing  his  march  through  Cham- 
pagne, where  the  excesses  of  his  troops  struck  terror 
even  into  the  very  heart  of  France.  On  reaching 
Fleurus  he  met  another  Spanish  army,  which  attempted 
to  stop  him  ;  but  after  a  bloody  engagement  he  con- 
tinued his  way  into  the  Netherlands,  where  the  Dutch 
were  willing  to  purchase  his  services,  to  be  employed 
against  Spinola,  who,  at  the  end  of  1622,  after  the 
expiration  of  the  Truce  of  Treves,  severely  pressed  the 
army  of  Prince  Maurice.  He  arrived  in  good  time  to 
oblige  the  Spanish  General  to  raise  the  siege  of  Bergen- 
op-Zoom,  which  the  latter  had  undertaken,  and  to  re- 
tire to  Antwerp.  Mansfeld  carried  his  troops  to  recruit 
themselves  for  new  enterprises  in  the  fertile  province  of 
East  Friesland,  until  the  Dutch  became  weary  of  such 
unwelcome  help.  Mansfeld,  in  the  mean  while,  availed 
himself  of  the  proximity  of  England,  either  through  an 
invitation  or  upon  the  chance  of  finding  James  I. 
disposed  to  engage  him,  and  crossing  over  from 
Holland  was  received  in  London  with  general  accla- 
mation and  great  favour  as  a  distinguished  Protestant 
leader. 
Encounters      Mansfeld  was  immediately  taken  into  English  pay, 

steinand  and  WaS  entrusted  witn  tne  command  of  reinforce- 
Tilk,  and  ments,  with  which  he  was  to  join  the  League  framed  in 
is  defeated,  fche  Circle  of  Lower  Saxony,  for  the  restoration  of  the 


eejS'est,  count  mansfeld.  73 

Palatinate  to  the  King's  son-in-law.  Christian  IV.  of 
Denmark  was  himself,  as  Duke  of  Holstein,  a  Prince 
of  Germany,  and  was  declared  chief  of  the  new  Union. 
As  soon  as  the  terms  were  concluded,  Mansfeld  re- 
crossed  to  rejoin  his  troops  in  Friesland ;  but  he  was 
wrecked  in  crossing  the  sea,  and  saved  in  person  with 
great  difficulty,  while  sixty-six  of  his  companions  and 
followers  perished.  Maximilian  of  Bavaria  now  con- 
ducted the  campaign  against  Mansfeld  as  executor  of  the 
Imperial  ban ;  and  his  General,  Count  Tilly,  marching 
along  the  left  bank  of  the  Weser,  advanced  against  the 
King  of  Denmark  as  far  as  Minden.  Christian  spread 
his  forces  over  the  territories  of  Brunswick,  and  both 
armies  remained  for  some  time  in  presence ;  the  latter 
probably  expecting  the  arrival  of  Mansfeld,  and  the 
former  the  army  which  had  recently  taken  the  field 
under  Wallenstein.  This  latter  general  had  orders  to 
unite  with  Tilly,  but,  being  jealous  of  his  fame,  he 
showed  no  disposition  to  share  with  him  the  laurels  of 
the  campaign,  and  resolved  to  act  independently  of  him. 
He  accordingly  took  post  at  Dessau.  Mansfeld  marched 
at  once  against  him  upon  the  Elbe,  and  prevented  the 
junction  of  Wallenstein  with  Tilly,  or  any  combined 
attack  upon  the  King  of  Denmark.  With  extraordinary 
rashness,  however,  the  intrepid  Mansfeld  advanced  to 
the  very  bridge  of  Dessau,  and  began  to  intrench  him- 
self in  presence  of  the  Imperial  army.  Wallenstein  and 
Tilly  would  not  tolerate  such  insult,  but  fell  upon  bun 
from  opposite  sides,  and  he  was  obliged  to  yield  to 
superior  forces,  and  to  abandon  his  post  with  the  loss 
of  3000  killed  and  many  wounded  and  scattered. 

After  this  defeat  Mansfeld  withdrew  into  Branden-  Invades  Si- 
burg,  where  he  soon  reinforced  his  army,  and  collected  lesia>  and  is 

dcfpfi'tpc! 
some  24,000    German   Evangelians,    including   about  His  death. 

3000  Scots  and  Danes,  who  had  escaped  from  former  dis- 
comfitures ;  and  with  these  troops  he  suddenly  appeared 
in  Silesia.  As  the  hereditary  dominions  of  the  Emperor 
were    at   this   time    entirely    defenceless,    Wallenstein 


EENEST,  COUNT  MANSFELD. 

received  immediate  orders  to  suspend  his  operations 
against  the  King  of  Denmark,  and,  if  possible,  to  drive 
Mansfeld  out  of  Silesia.  He  forthwith  set  himself  in 
pursuit ;  hut  his  adversary  made  his  way,  amidst  count- 
less difficulties,  from  Silesia  into  Hungary  and  Transyl- 
vania, where  he  hoped  to  derive  assistance  from  Bethlem 
Gabor,  the  Protestant  chief  of  those  parts,  who  had 
recently  broken  his  truce  with  the  Emperor.  But  he 
found  himself  not  at  all  welcomed  by  the  barbarian  chief, 
for  this  versatile  ally  had  again  made  a  hasty  peace 
with  Ferdinand,  and  deserted  the  Protestant  cause. 
Mansfeld  therefore  found  that  he  had  drawn  upon 
himself  the  whole  strength  of  the  Imperial  armies,  in 
place  of  the  diversion  he  intended  to  make  in  favour  of 
the  Protestant  Union.  Arrived  on  the  banks  of  the 
Waag  therefore,  between  Leopoldstadt  and  Komorn, 
he  had  no  choice  but  to  offer  battle  to  Wallenstein, 
and  when  victory  turned  against  him  he  found  himself 
unable  to  maintain  and  keep  together  the  weak  rem- 
nant of  his  troops  in  the  presence  of  so  many  enemies, 
so  that  he  sold  his  cannon  and  baggage  train ;  and, 
being  altogether  abandoned  by  his  whole  army,  he  was 
forced  to  flee  from  the  field,  and  seek  his  safety  by  blind 
paths  across  the  mountains.  With  a  few  followers  he 
reached  the  borders  of  Italy  in  November,  1026,  when, 
worn  out  by  fatigue  and  disappointment,  he  took  to 
his  bed  at  Zara,  on  the  confines  of  Bosnia  and  Dalmatia, 
and,  as  is  recorded,  "  expired  standing  upright  in  his 
armour."  The  story  is,  that,  finding  he  was  likely  to 
die,  he  had  himself  attired  in  his  richest  panoply,  and, 
leaning  for  support  on  two  of  his  adjutants,  he  drew  his 
sword,  and  advanced  to  meet  the  dread  antagonist  to 
whom  he  was  about  to  succumb.  The  action  may 
appear  more  Pagan  than  Christian  either  to  Protestant 
or  Catholic  (to  both  of  which  denominations  Mansfeld 
had  in  turn  belonged,  but  to  neither  of  which  he  was 
perhaps  cordially  attached).  There  is  something  grand, 
however,    in  the  act,   which   bespoke   an    indomitable 


EENEST,  COUNT  HANSEELD.  75 

bravery,  and  he  might  have  apostrophized  the  King  of 
Terrors  somewhat  after  this  manner  : 

"  Death  !  thou  fell  tyrant,  hast  no  fears  for  me  : 
A  hero's  fame  is  immortality;" 

or,  as  has  been  more  tersely  expressed  in  a  family  motto  : 

"Non  moritur  cujus  fama  vivit." 

He   died  in  the  forty-first  year  of  his  age,  and  lies 
buried  in  the  Cathedral  of  Spalatro. 

Count  Mansfeld  was  a  diminutive,  sickly-looking,  de-  His  per- 
formed man,  but  he  possessed  the  soul  of  a  true  hero.  sona  ap~ 
'  L  pearanee 

Constantly  persecuted  by  fortune,  he  was  to  the  last  and  charac- 
superior  to  his  fate.  There  never  was  a  leader  in  the  field  ter- 
who  had  been  more  inured  to  hardships  and  watchings, 
hunger  and  cold ;  and  he  merits  immortality,  for  he  had 
always  proved  himself  superior  to  adversity.  Such  a 
military  career  as  his  required  the  full  strength  of  a 
powerful  constitution,  for  he  sunk  exhausted  at  an  age  at 
which  few  modern  generals  attain  their  first  commands. 
He  was  a  man  bold  in  council,  fearless  in  danger,  fertile 
in  resources,  resolute,  and  never  shrinking  even  under 
the  most  adverse  circumstances.  He  raised  armies  with 
incredible  rapidity,  and  ravaged  territories  for  their 
maintenance  with  ruthless  severity  and  unconscionable 
rigour.  The  terror  of  his  name  spread  far  and  wide  ; 
and  when  he  entered  Champagne,  the  inhabitants  fled 
from  their  homes,  as  far  as  Orleans  and  the  Yalley  of 
the  Loire,  for  very  dread,  and  were  content  to  abandon 
their  property  to  avoid  a  conflagration  that  they  knew 
was  unquenchable-  and  destructive.  He  obtained  at 
Paris  the  surname  of  "  Sanguinario,"  or  "  Bloody 
bones ;"  and,  like  that  of  many  dreaded  conquerors, 
the  name  was  long  employed  to  frighten  children  into 
obedience  even  after  the  Thirty  Years'  War  had  ended. 
To  the  qualities  of  a  warrior  Mansfeld  united  the 
address  of  a  very  successful  negotiator.  Indeed  his 
talent  for  persuasion  was  such,  that  with  a  natural  elo- 
quence he  knew  how  to  insinuate  himself  into  the  con- 


76  EENEST,    COUNT    MA.NSFELD. 

fidence  and  heart  of  those  whom  he  most  desired  to 
win  over  to  his  cause.  He  was  so  skilful  a  diplomatist, 
that  his  many  hitter  detractors  were  compelled  to  yield 
him  this  merit.  Indeed  it  was  dangerous  to  argue 
with  a  man  whose  tongue  was  as  prompt  as  his  sword, 
who  had  persuasiveness  as  well  as  courage,  and  wdio 
made  his  rule  of  action  "  tarn  Marte  quam  Mercurio." 
He  is  said  to  have  had  the  hump  of  acquisitiveness 
largely  developed,  and  to  have  seized  freely  ;  hut  to 
have  been  so  prodigal  of  wealth  as  to  squander  it  readily 
on  gifts,  pleasures,  or  necessities  ;  so  that  he  had  neither 
lands  nor  money  at  the  time  of  his  death.  It  was  said 
of  him  that  he  was  "  bonus  in  auxilio,  carus  in  pretio," 
— that  is,  that  he  could  render  the  highest  services,  but 
made  those  who  employed  him  pay  dearly  for  them. 
His  mili-  Count  Mansfeld  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest 

fixations  "  generals  °f  the  seventeenth  centuiy ;  but  he  was  too 
reckless  of  gain  to  have  been  a  good  disciplinarian  : 
and  his  strategy  was  rather  the  effect  of  experience 
than  of  study.  As  a  tactician,  he  is  said  to  "  have 
been  the  first  to  employ  dragoons1  in  warfare;"  by 
which  I  suppose  it  may  be  understood  that  he  wras  the 
first  to  utilize  a  horse  soldier  for  purposes  beyond  the 
mere  dash  of  a  charge,  by  applying  him  more  advan- 
tageously for  outposts  and  intelligence.  If  this  be  so, 
he  made  a  great  advance  in  wrar  tactics,  since  there  is 
scarcely  any  thing  that  can  be  rendered  more  beneficial 
to  the  march,  either  in  advance  or  retreat,  than  a  well- 
organized  system  of  vedettes  and  patrols,  which  consti- 

1  The  term  "  Dragoon "  was  at  the  "  introduction "  often 
interchanged  for  the  name  of  Horse  Musketeers.  They  wore  the 
first  description  of  horse  that  carried  a  matchlock  instead  of  a 
pike.  They  were  at  the  commencement  armed  with  ordinary 
fire-arms  and  short  swords,  with  hatchets,  that  they  might  act 
occasionally  as  pioneers.  They  were  employed  especially  as  a 
protection  against  the  Croats,  who,  like  the  Cossacks  of  our  own 
times,  were  very  great  annoyances  to  the  march  of  regular  troops, 
and  dragoons  were  employed  to  escort  convoys,  and  were  drilled 
to  act  on  foot  as  well  as  on  horseback. 


ERNEST,  COUNT  MANSFELD.  77 

tute  the  eyes  and  ears  of  an  army.  However,  there  are 
other  military  writers  who  give  Mansfeld  the  credit  of 
establishing  the  force  that  was  known  long  afterwards 
by  the  name  of  "  Voltigeur 2 :"  "  Qui  pedites  cum  bom- 
bardis  majoribus  imposuit  equis,  ut  sic  celeritatem  equi- 

2  Voltigettb.  As  Mansfeld  has  received  very  universally  the 
credit  of  having  "  introduced  dragoons  "  in  war,  it  may  not  be  an 
unfitting  place  and  opportunity  to  suggest  a  new  class  of  cavalry, 
which  I  will  call  "  voltigeurs,"  although  I  admit  they  are  not 
at  all  identical  with  the  horse-infantry-man,  so  called  by  the 
French.  It  may  appear  almost  beyond  the  privilege  of  a  veteran, 
who  has  been  for  so  many  years  estranged  from  the  battle-field  as 
I  have  been,  to  ask  the  attention  of  his  brother  officers  of  the 
present  day  to  the  consideration  of  a  new  arm  of  service,  but  I 
will  nevertheless  without  further  phrase  improvise  my  idea. 

Voltigeurs,  as  formerly  used,  are  not,  I  believe,  now  known  in 
any  Continental  army,  and  have  never  been  introduced  into  our 
own.  But  experience  in  outpost  warfare  has  net  been  extended 
since  Waterloo,  and  remains  still  with  the  old  soldiers  of  Europe, 
or  with  the  Federals  and  Confederates  of  the  other  hemisphere, 
for  the  campaign  of  the  Crimea  of  a  year  and  a  day  never  went 
much  beyond  the  business  of  a  siege ;  and  even  the  French-Italian 
and  German-Danish  wars  have  not  included  much  marching  and 
manoeuvring,  or  "la  petite  guerre."  The  mighty  change  in  the 
implements  of  war,  which  must  materially  affect  the  attack  and 
defence  of  places,  cannot  fail  likewise  to  influence  the  meet  of 
armies.  The  old  skirmisher  must  be  considerably  altered;  yet 
he  was,  as  it  were,  the  finger  of  war,  whose  sensitive  touch 
showed  where  to  direct  the  blow :  now,  he  will  become  part  of 
the  muscular  action  that  gives  it.  A  rifle  that  can  carry  a  ball 
upwards  of  1000  yards  with  a  perfect  certainty,  must  tell  upon 
every  kind  of  formation — and  this  change  should  be  well  con- 
sidered and  provided  for  beforehand. 

I  propose  a  cavalry  regiment  that  should  consist  of  twice  as 
many  men  as  horses — say  1000  men  to  500  horses — the  rider 
a  lightsome,  hardy,  active  little  fellow,  who  should  be  as  much  at 
home  with  a  horse  as  a  Pampas-man.  As  he  could  not  be  calcu- 
lated on  for  close  contest,  he  should  be  armed  only  with  the  best 
and  lightest  rifle  and  revolver;  but  as  he  might  have  also  to 
defend  himself  on  foot  from  the  lance  or  the  bayonet,  he  might 
carry  a  small  sword  of  no  great  weight,  but  sufficient  to  ward  a 
thrust.  He  should  bear  his  ammunition  round  a  waist-belt  or  on 
a  bandolier — should  be  dressed  in  the  best  form  of  sportsman- 
habiliments,  with  a  skull-cap  like  that  of  the  police.  The  men's 
packs  should  be  carried  two  together  on  the  crupper-pad,  unless 


7S  KliNKST,    COUNT    MANSFELD. 

turn  et  vim  peditum  ingeniosa  haec  mixtura  in  iisdem 
consequeretur."  But  this  mixed  horse  and  foot  man 
never  did  much  service  in  battle;  and  could  scarcely 
liavo  done  any  good  in  the  days  of  pike  and  matchlock. 
Mansfeld  was,  from  the  condition  of  his  birth,  a  man 
of  vast  aspirations,  which,  combined  with  a  natural 
genius,  led  him  to  form  high  projects,  such  as  we  may 
see  in  bis  career.  He  began  by  serving  the  Elector  Pala- 
tine in  Bohemia,  suddenly  came  down  upon  the  States 
of  the  Ehine,  and,  when  unceremoniously  dismissed 
from  the  Palatinate,  carried  his  army  first  to  assist  the 
Huguenots  of  France  ;  and,  when  disappointed  in  that 
service,  moved  rapidly  to  the  assistance  of  the  Dutch. 
Like  many  of  his  contemporaries,  he  lost  armies  as 
quickly  as  he  raised  them  3. 

when  the  horse  carried  double,  at  which  time  they  should  he 
strapped  on  the  men's  backs. 

At  the  proper  time  the  men  thus  mounted  should  be  carried 
briskly  to  the  front,  and  as  near  to  the  enemy's  formations 
as  possihle,  when  the  hindmost  should  dismount  and  open  fire 
— the  horsemen  retiring  out  of  fire,  but  near  enough  to  take  the 
men  on  their  saddles  or  protect  them  from  the  approach  of 
cavalry.  It  is  probahle  that  such  an  irruption,  which  would 
bring  a  deadly  fire  to  hear  upon  the  foe,  would  be  so  annoying 
and  intolerahle,  that,  as  in  the  olden  time,  under  the  effect  of 
round-shot  and  grape,  they  would  he  obliged  to  move  ofi"  the 
field;  and  then  imagine  the  effect  of  these  voltigcurs  upon  the 
flanks  and  rear  of  a  retiring  column !  They  woidd  be  as  moving 
rifle-pits,  and  would  immensely  disturb  every  operation. 

Such  troops  might  also  he  usefully  employed  for  other  purposes, 
more  especially  if  care  was  taken  to  select  them  from  the  more 
intelligent  classes — such,  for  example,  as  could  speak  French,  or 
sketch  a  plan,  or  make  good  observations.  As  special  soldiers 
are  appointed  for  the  duties  of  the  staff  corps  and  for  sappers  and 
miners,  so  these  horsemen  might  be  rendered  available  for  raids 
across  the  front  of  the  armies — two  or  more  together  (ride  and  tye), 
obtaining  information  about  forage  and  supplies,  and  learning  the 
facilities  of  a  district  to  nourish  and  quarter  troops.  They  might 
also  execute  many  of  the  duties  that  have  frequently  to  he  sought 
for  and  organized  after  a  campaign  has  been  inaugurated,  such 
as  the  gain  of  intelligence,  &c. 

3  Kriegs-Kunst  Lexikon  j  Biographic  TJniverselle ;  Schiller. 


JOHN  TZERCLAES,  COUNT  VON 
TILLY, 

AN  IMPERIALIST  GENERAL. 


Horn  1559.     Died  1632. 


Considerable  doubt  hangs  over  the  occasion  or  origin  His  parent- 
of  the  name  of  Tzerclaes,  because  personal  names  are  a|e  alL 
not  in  Germany  or  the  Netherlands  a  necessary  con- 
comitant of  titular  honour,  as  in  England.  The  name 
of  Tilly  is,  however,  derived  from  a  lordship  of  that 
name  in  South  Brabant,  where  there  is  a  castle  in 
which  our  hero  was  born  in  1559.  His  father  was  a 
nobleman  of  consideration,  for  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Imperial  war  council,  and  hereditary  Seneschal  of  Namur; 
his  family  was  of  an  ancient  and  illustrious  Belgian 
stock,  which  had  been  already  ennobled  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  seven  patrician 
families  of  the  Netherlands.  Some  biographers  have 
been  fanciful  enough  to  imagine  that  Tzerclaes  is  a 
corruption  of  Sir  Claus,  or  Sir  Nicholas.     But  seeing 


80  JOn>*  TZERCLAES,  COUNT  VOX  TTT.T.V. 

that  the  great  general's  name  was  John,  this  would 
seem  an  idle  supposition.  Little  is  known  of  his 
youth ;  hut  it  is  believed  that  he  was  designed  for  the 
Church,  and  that  thus  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
Jesuits  he  became  deepty  imbued  with  Romanist  im- 
pressions and  prejudices.  For  some  reason  or  other  he 
adopted  the  profession  of  arms  in  1580,  and  served  in 
the  army  of  the  Duke  of  Alva.  He  quitted,  however, 
the  Spanish  army  in  1598,  and,  adopting  the  Imperial 
service,  followed  the  Duke  of  Lorraine  into  Hungary, 
where  he  obtained  considerable  personal  distinction  in 
His  first  some  campaigns  against  the  Turks.  In  1007  he  accepted 
campaign,  service  with  Maximilian,  Duke  of  Bavaria,  who  gave 
him  the  charge  of  the  whole  militia  of  his  State,  with 
the  title  of  General  Oberst.  When  the  unfortunate 
Elector  Palatine  accepted  the  crown  of  Bohemia,  and 
dared  the  Emperor  and  his  Catholic  League,  Duke 
Maximilian  took  part  with  Ferdinand,  and  received  in 
return  full  powers  to  direct  the  Imperialist  army,  which 
was  to  march  in  the  cause  of  the  Emperor  against  his 
Bohemian  rebels  and  the  power  of  the  Evangelical  Union. 
To  Tilly  was  entrusted  the  command  of  the  forces  of 
Bavaria,  which  were  assembled  at  Donauwcrth,  whence 
wTith  great  promptitude  he  advanced  with  30,000  men 
into  Upper  Austria,  and  captured  Linz.  The  Estates,  sur- 
prised and  unprepared,  purchased  the  Emperor's  pardon 
by  an  immediate  and  unconditional  submission.  Tilly 
then  united  his  forces  with  those  of  Count  Bouequoi 
in  Lower  Austria,  and  at  the  head  of  50,000  men  entered 
Bohemia.  The  rebels  were  driven  before  them,  and  fled 
into  Moravia.  Bouequoi  and  Tilly  determined  to  ob- 
tain possession  of  the  important  fortress  of  Neuslitz,  and 
on  the  11th  of  June,  1619,  having  Count  Dampierre  in 
advance,  they  captured  the  Castle.  Mansfeld,  however, 
sent  up  a  body  of  cavalry  against  Dampierre ;  but 
Bouequoi,  coming  up,  drove  them  back  upon  the  sup- 
ports ;  until  at  length  Mansfeld  himself  came  up  at  the 
head  of  his  cavalry,  but  was  also  driven  back  upon  his 


JOHN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY.  81 

infantry,  and  a  large  amount  of  booty,  valued  at 
20,000  rixdollars,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Impe- 
rialists. Every  town  that  attempted  resistance  was 
quickly  taken  by  storm ;  whereupon  the  rest,  terrified 
at  this  rapid  inroad,  voluntarily  opened  their  gates. 
Nothing  now  interrupted  the  impetuous  career  of 
Maximilian  and  his  doughty  General.  Prince  Chris- 
tian of  Anhalt,  in  command  of  the  Bohemian  army, 
retired  before  them  to  cover  the  capital  of  that  king- 
dom. Here  the  Protestant  army  had  been  joined  by 
10,000  Hungarians,  under  Bethlem  Ghabor,  who  had 
usurped  the  kingdom  of  Hungary  :  but  Mansfeld  had 
separated  from  Anhalt,  of  whom  it  is  supposed  he  was 
jealous,  and,  instead  of  acting  in  concert  with  the  allies 
to  oppose  Tilly,  he  remained  in  the  camp  of  Pilsen, 
at  some  distance  from  Prague.  The  Elector  Palatine, 
acting  the  part  of  King  within  his  palace,  left  it  to  his 
generals  to  intrench  his  army  upon  the  Weissenberg, 
or  the  White  Mountain  ;  while  on  the  8th  of  October, 
1620,  he  presided  at  a  grand  entertainment  given  to 
his  lords  and  retainers.  In  the  middle  of  the  feast  a 
messenger  came  in  to  announce  that  the  Imperialists 
had  suddenly  advanced,  and  fallen  upon  the  army  of 
the  Prince  of  Anhalt.  The  charge  of  the  Bavarians 
and  Walloons  had  already  proved  irresistible ;  the 
Hungarian  cavalry  had  fled  ;  and  the  Bohemian  in- 
fantry, thus  left  uncovered,  had  followed  their  example. 
In  the  short  space  of  an  hour  the  decisive  action  was 
over,  and  the  unhappy  King,  for  the  personal  security 
of  his  Queen  and  family,  sent  to  Maximilian  to  request 
an  armistice  of  twenty-four  hours.  This  the  Duke  of 
Bavaria  refused  ;  and  Frederick  was  forced  to  flee  with 
his  wife  and  principal  officers,  in  the  night,  for  their 
lives,  leaving:  the  crown  behind  them.  The  occasion  for 
this  hurried  abdication  was  not,  however,  so  imminent, 
and  gave  occasion  to  the  imputation  that  he,  whose 
weak  ambition  had  so  quickly  grasped  a  sceptre,  was  in 
fact  a  poor  creature  and  a  poltroon,  for  he  had   still 

G 


82  JOHN    TZKIii'l.AKS,    COUNT    V()N    TILLY. 

Mansfeld's  army  resting  idle  at  Pilsen,  and  another 
force  under  Count  Thurn  within  the  city.  Yet,  pusil- 
lanimous as  the  wretched  Frederick  undoubtedly  was, 
and  utterly  unfit  for  the  elevation  to  which  he  had  so 
weakly  aspired,  lie  was  already  in  the  first  and  last 
year  of  his  reign  a  royal  philosopher,  for  he  ended  his 
monarchy  with  this  truism, — "  I  know  now  what  I  am  : 
there  are  virtues  which  only  misfortune  can  teach  us  ; 
and  it  is  in  adversity  alone  that  princes  learn  to  know 
themselves." 
Attacks  But,  to  return  to  Tilly. — Thurn  and  his  party  retired 

Mansfeldat  towards  Moravia.  King  Frederick  and  his  followers 
fled  to  Breslau.  Tilly  moved  to  attack  Mansfeld,  but 
was  unable  to  force  him  out  of  his  camp  at  Pilsen.  In 
the  Emperor's  cabinet,  meanwhile,  the  ruin  of  Frederick 
was  resolved  upon,  and  the  task  of  carrying  the  decree 
for  his  destruction  was  entrusted  to  Maximilian,  whose 
victorious  arms  had  dethroned  the  fugitive  monarch. 
Neither  the  power,  nor  a  pretext  of  right,  was  now 
wanting  to  enable  him  to  place  the  Palatinate  in  the 
possession  of  the  Duke  of  Bavaria  as  the  reward  for  his 
timely  assistance ;  and  Tilly  the  Bavarian  General  was 
accordingly  ordered  to  carry  his  army  into  the  Pfalz. 
The  unscrupulous  General,  finding  no  one  to  oppose  him, 
wreaked  the  vengeance  of  the  Emperor  upon  the  sub- 
jects of  the  pseudo-King,  who  was  already  in  the  fulness 
of  the  Imperial  power  degraded  from  his  Electoral  dig- 
nity, and  declared  to  have  forfeited  his  estates  for  taking 
up  arms  against  his  Suzerain.  The  high  place  and  sta- 
tion in  the  Empire  thus  obtained  by  Bavaria  has  re- 
mained with  it  to  our  times,  until,  at  the  destruction 
of  the  German  polity,  the  Electorate  was  turned  into  a 
kingdom  by  the  power  of  Napoleon. 
Defeats  the  Tilly  was  at  this  time  directed  to  possess  himself 
Duke  of  either  by  force  or  otherwise  of  the  States  of  Hesse  ;  and 
"  he  took  up  his  winter  quarters  in  that  principality  in 
1G21  ;  but  in  the  following  year  Frederick  entered  the 
Lower  Palatinate  in  disguise,  and  brought  the  "  tower 


JOHN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY.  83 

of  strength  of  his  name"  to  the  protection  of  a  new 
army  under  Mansfeld.  George  Frederick,  Margrave  of 
Baden,  who  had  assembled  a  considerable  military  force 
for  the  Evangelical  Union,  came  to  his  aid,  and  suddenly 
took  the  field,  uniting  his  forces  with  those  of  Mans- 
feld. The  Duke  of  Wurteraberg  likewise  augmented 
his  military  strength ;  so  that  the  courage  of  the  Pala- 
tine for  a  moment  revived.  It  was  now  high  time 
for  Tilly  to  look  around  him ;  and  he  sent  to  summon 
the  Spanish  army  under  Corduba  out  of  the  Nether- 
lands to  come  up  to  his  assistance.  The  armies  of 
the  Margrave  and  Mansfeld  having,  however,  very 
unwisely  separated  in  1622,  Tilly  immediately  fell  upon 
the  latter,  and  defeated  him  near  Wimpfen.  He  next 
selected  for  his  antagonist  Christian,  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, Administrator  of  Halberstadt,  and,  coming  up 
with  him  at  the  town  of  Hochst,  on  the  Maine,  dis- 
puted with  him  the  passage  of  that  river  in  a  mur- 
derous action.  On  the  Duke's  forming  a  junction  with 
Mansfeld,  Tilly  pursued  the  united  host  into  Alsace, 
and  thence  returning  into  the  Palatinate,  now  denuded 
of  all  defenders,  Heidelberg,  with  the  magnificent 
palace  of  the  fugitive  King,  was  stormed  by  the 
savage  soldiery,  who  wreaked  such  a  vengeance  upon 
this  splendid  pile  as  may  be  witnessed  to  this  clay. 
The  valuable  library  was  seized  by  the  General,  and 
transmitted  to  his  patron  Maximilian,  who  sent  it 
as  a  present  to  Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  as  a  means  of 
reassuring  himself  of  the  Pontiff's  favour.  It  probably 
forms  part  of  the  treasures  of  the  Vatican,  where  the 
finest  collection  of  books  and  manuscripts  in  the  world 
does  nothing  for  the  maintenance  of  religion,  and  little 
for  the  advancement  of  learning.  Duke  Christian 
of  Brunswick,  and  the  two  brothers,  William  and  Bern- 
hard  of  Saxe  Weimar,  still  kept  the  field,  and,  having 
collected  together  22,000  men  and  15  guns,  marched  on 
Osnabriick,  near  which,  on  the  8th  of  August,  1023, 
Tilly  came  up  with  them,  at  Steinfurt  on  the  Aa,  and 

Cx  2 


8  t  JOTLN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    VOX    TILLY. 

by  a  vigorous  attack  on  their  outposts  forced  them  to 
fall  back  on  Stadtloen  in  the  Bishopric  of  Monster, 
where  he  obtained  an  easy  victoiy  over  them  on  the 
10th,  taking  all  their  guns,  together  with  SO  colours, 
and  obliging  the  leaders  to  seek  their  personal  safety  on 
the  confines  of  Holland.  Brunswick,  in  consequence 
of  this  victory,  formally  seceded  from  the  Union,  and 
embraced  the  party  of  the  League ;  and  the  Hanse- 
towns  also  recalled  their  troops,  and  desisted  from  fur- 
ther opposition  against  the  Emperor. 
Storms  The  Union  was  now  paralyzed  :  no  Protestant  Prince 

The  I'"o  was  m  arms-  But,  on  the  frontiers  of  Lower  Germany, 
tcstantsbe-  Tilly,  at  the  head  of  his  victorious  army,  encamped  on 
star  them-  ^0  Protestant  territory.  Manhcim  was  taken  by  storm, 
and  burnt  to  the  ground.  The  Administrator's  maga- 
zines at  Lippstadt  were  confiscated.  Catholicism  was 
imposed  on  the  whole  of  the  Pfalz.  But  although  there 
was  no  enemy  in  the  field,  the  Protestants  yet  pre- 
dominated in  Lower  Germany,  in  which  the  Church 
had  been  forcibly  deprived  of  most  of  its  endowments, 
and  the  present  appeared  a  favourable  moment  to  the 
Catholic  party  for  recovering  these  lost  possessions. 
A  great  part  of  the  strength  of  the  Lower  German 
Princes  consisted  in  these  chapters  ;  and,  although  they 
were  frightened  and  humiliated,  they  were  not  yet 
reduced  to  the  call  of  "  Stand  and  deliver ;"  so  that 
the  dread  of  a  general  and  forcible  suppression  of  Pro- 
testantism throughout  German}*  raised  the  popular 
interest  against  their  remaining  inactive  in  this  danger. 
The  King         The  remembrance  of  the  ravages  which  Tilly's  army 

of  Den-       ]iac|  committed  in  Lower  Saxony,  caused  that  Province 

mark  dene-         ,        ,       _  . 

ralissimoof «°  De  the  first  to  take  up  arms  again;  and  they  ad- 

the  troops  dressed  themselves  for  subsidies  and  assistance  to  their 
Union.  Protestant  brethren  in  England,  Penmark,  and  Sweden. 
It  was  some  time  deliberated  what  power  to  place  at 
the  head  of  the  Evangelical  Confederacy  ;  and  Den- 
mark having  been  suggested  by  England,  Christian  IV. 
hastened,  in  102-1,  to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  the 


JOHN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    VON"   TILLY.  85 

troops  of  the  Union.  The  Dukes  of  Brunswick  and 
Mecklenburg  rejoined  the  alliance,  and  an  army  of 
60,000  men  was  raised,  of  which  the  King  of  Denmark 
took  the  command,  as  Generalissimo.  Negotiations, 
exhortations,  commands,  and  threats,  were  employed 
by  the  Emperor  in  vain  to  recall  Lower  Saxony  to  its 
obedience  to  him,  and  to  frighten  Christian  out  of  the 
field,  until  at  length  Tilly  was  set  in  motion  with  his 
army.  The  King  was  sufficiently  wise  and  prudent  to 
avoid  any  thing  that  was  likely  to  bring  on  a  decisive 
action,  though  Tilly  sought  it  incessantly. 

The  Emperor  had  hitherto  waged  war  with  the  arms 
of  Bavaria  and  the  League,  and  had  no  army  of  his 
own  in  the  field.  This  dependence  on  others  was 
galling  to  his  pride,  and  ill  accorded  with  the  grand 
schemes  which  the  Imperial  Cabinet  had  been  led  to 
form  from  the  prosperous  conduct  and  brilliant  com- 
mencement of  the  war.  His  Majesty  felt  that  an 
army  under  his  own  orders  only  could  establish  the  pre- 
eminence of  Austria  in  Germany ;  but  the  Imperial 
dominions  had  been  so  laid  waste,  that  they  were  ex- 
hausted, and  the  Emperor  was  accordingly  quite  un- 
equal to  the  undertaking.  In  this  emergency  he  was  The  Em- 
saved  by  the  prompt  appearance  upon  the  scene  of  the  Pe.ror  ^ 
most  famous  of  all  the  Generals  of  that  time — Albrecht  \yallen- 
von  Wallenstein,  who  offered  to  raise  and  clothe  an  stem, 
army  for  the  Emperor  at  his  own  expense  and  that  of 
his  friends.  The  offer  was  at  first  treated  as  the 
chimerical  offspring  of  a  visionary  brain,  but  never- 
theless it  was  gratefully  accepted,  and  in  a  few  months 
Wallenstein  collected  20,000  men  under  arms.  The 
orders  given  to  Wallenstein  were,  to  form  a  junction 
with  Tilly,  and  to  attack  the  King  of  Denmark ;  but 
before  he  commenced  his  march  he  had  already  aug- 
mented his  forces  to  40,000  men. 

In  August,  1625,  Tilly  encountered  the  Duke  ofThelnipe- 
Saxe  Weimar  at  Stolzenau,  but  was  forced  to  retreat  j^cl^and  ' 
upon  Gottingen,  where  he  was  joined  by  Wallenstein.  totally  de- 


86  JOHN  TZEBCLAES,  CO!  NT  VOX  TILLY. 

feat  the       Now  therefore,  for  the  first  time  in  this  war,  an  Impe- 

,V"~  "  ,      rial  army  appeared  in  Germany  with  a  force  calculated 
Denmark  *     ri  J 

at  Lutter.  to  destroy  the  Protestant  cause.  But  the  two  leaders 
of  the  Catholic  League  were,  singularly  enough  (for 
they  were  quite  unknown  to  each  other),  jealous  of  each 
other  from  tho  very  commencement,  and  indisposed  to 
act  together.  Disoheying  therefore  his  orders  to  act 
in  concert  with  the  General  of  the  League,  Wallenstein 
marched  to  Dessau,  and  there  made  himself  master  of 
the  bridge  across  tho  Elbe.  The  King  of  Denmark 
forthwith  ordered  Mansfeld  to  march  against  Wallen- 
stein, and  endeavour  to  interpose  himself  between  the 
two  armies  of  the  enemy,  while  the  King  occupied 
himself  with  Tilly,  who  detached  a  part  of  his  horse 
into  Westphalia  to  seize  the  Bishoprics  of  Munster  and 
Osnaburg.  Tilly  spread  the  terror  of  his  name  through- 
out the  Lutheran  States,  and,  taking  up  a  position  at 
Minden,  laid  siege  to  Gottingen ;  on  which  Christian 
sent  four  regiments  of  infantry  and  six  of  horse  to  the 
Kallemberg,  to  draw  him  away  from  that  object ;  but 
Tilly,  on  the  29th  of  June,  1626,  sent  4000  men  under 
General  Furstenberg,  who  drove  them  back,  and  Got- 
tingen surrendered  to  him  next  day.  Tilly  then  medi- 
tated a  similar  attack  upon  Nordheim,  in  the  Duchy 
of  Brunswick,  before  which  place  he  sat  down,  but  was 
taken  seriously  ill :  and  his  adversary,  hearing  that 
the  General  of  the  League  was  sick,  moved  forward 
16,000  men  to  the  relief  of  Nordheim,  and  succeeded  in 
throwing  into  the  place  the  necessary  supplies  for  a  long 
siege.  The  King,  however,  lingered  so  long  in  this 
operation  that  Tilly  recovered,  and,  receiving  some 
reinforcements  from  Wallenstein's  army,  followed  by 
forced  marches  after  Christian,  who  had  already  reached 
Duderstadt,  and  there  came  up  with  him.  The  King, 
to  avoid  an  attack,  retreated  towards  Brunswick,  but 
Tilly  incessantly  pressed  upon  his  rear,  and  at  length 
brought  the  army  of  the  Union  to  bay  near  the  village 
of  Lutter  under  the  Baremberg  in  1627.     The  Danes 


JOHN  TZEECLAES,  COUNT  TON  TILLY.  87 

commenced  the  battle  gallantly,  and  thrice  did  their 
intrepid  monarch  lead  them  against  the  enemy  ;  but  at 
length  numbers  and  the  better  discipline  of  the  Impe- 
rialist forces  prevailed,  and  Tilly  defeated  them  with 
the  loss  of  8000  men,  22  guns,  and  the  King's  military 
chest ;  4000  men  and  several  officers  of  distinction 
were  killed,  and  a  great  number  of  prisoners  laid  down 
their  arms. 

Christian  himself  fled  from  the  field  with  his  cavalry,  Invades 
and  was  enabled  to  collect  together  again  the  wreck  of  enmai  ' 
his  army  which  had  survived  the  serious  defeat  at  Lut- 
ter.  Tilly,  however,  was  not  in  the  mean  while  inactive, 
but,  pursuing  his  victory,  made  himself  master  of  the 
Weser  and  Brunswick,  and  forced  the  King  to  retire 
to  Bremen.  Rendered  more  cautious  by  defeat,  the 
army  of  the  Protestant  Union  again  acted  on  the  de- 
fensive ;  but  the  forces  of  the  League  spread  themselves 
along  the  Elbe  and  Havel,  and  every  where  drove  the 
Danes  before  them.  Wallenstein  in  the  mean  while  re- 
turned from  Hungary,  where  he  had  utterly  destroyed 
Mansfeld's  army,  and  immediately  united  with  Tilly  to 
pursue  their  advantages  against  the  King  of  Denmark 
by  removing  the  seat  of  war  into  the  heart  of  his  do- 
minions. The  Protestants  had  been  unable  to  cope 
with  Tilly  alone,  and  with  a  now  shattered  force  could 
not  hold  their  ground  against  the  confederated  Imperial 
Generals.  The  greater  part  of  Mecklenburg  was  ac- 
cordingly overrun  by  Imperial  troops,  and  Wallenstein, 
with  little  or  no  opposition,  set  his  foot  in  Holstein. 
In  1627,  Tilly,  anxious  to  bring  the  Danish  campaign 
to  a  close,  seized  Hamel,  and,  crossing  the  Elbe  at 
Brissenburg,  also  entered  Holstein.  Hitherto  unvaried 
success  had  attended  the  arms  of  the  League,  and 
Christian  IV.,  defeated  and  driven  out  of  Germany, 
sought  refuge  amidst  his  own  islands ;  when  the  Baltic 
checked  the  further  progress  of  the  concpieror,  who 
nevertheless,  in  1628,  planted  the  Imperial  standard  in 
Jutland.      The  German  Princes  now  in  a  sad  and  un- 


88 


JOIIN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    TON    TILLY. 


Tilly  con- 
cludes a 
peace  at 
Lubeck 
with  the 
King  of 
Denmark. 


Tilly  re- 
ceives the 
command 


worthy  spirit  of  selfishness  left  the  Danes  unaided,  and 
made  their  own  terms  with  the  Emperor.  The  Land- 
grave of  Hesse  Cassel  set  the  hase  example  of  deserting 
his  Protestant  brethren  ;  hut  the  Landgrave  William,  a 
man  every  way  worthy  of  his  noble  ancestry,  adhered 
to  the  cause  of  religion  and  honour. 

AYallenstein  applied  for  and  obtained  from  the 
Emperor  a  grant  of  the  Duchy  of  Mecklenburg,  which 
he  had  overrun  and  conquered  ;  and  having  thus  become 
a  neighbour  of  Denmark,  and  a  sort  of  brother  Sove- 
reign, he  resolved,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  his  Suzerain's 
interests,  to  secure  its  alliance;  and  Christian  IV., 
finding  himself  utterly  without  protectors,  readily  re- 
ceived the  proposition  made  to  him.  It  would  appear, 
however,  that  Tilly  had  been  won  over  to  concur  in 
this  act ;  for  it  is  stated  that  it  was  he  who  concluded 
the  peace  at  Lubeck  in  1629,  by  which  the  King  of 
Denmark  ingloriously  retired  from  the  field,  and  with- 
drew altogether  from  the  German  contest. 

Ferdinand  had  it  now  in  his  power,  for  the  second 
time,  to  secure  the  tranquillity  of  Germany  ;  and  it  de- 
pended solely  upon  his  will  whether  the  treaty  of  Lubeck 
should  or  should  not  be  the  basis  of  a  general  settle- 
ment. But  the  good  understanding  between  the  Em- 
peror and  the  Princes  of  the  League  had  rapidly  declined 
since  the  employment  of  Wallenstein.  In  the  Diet  held 
at  Patisbon  in  1630,  the  haughty  conqueror  attended 
in  person  as  Duke  of  Mecklenburg ;  and  although  the 
Duke  of  Bavaria  was  present,  with  the  electoral  cap  on 
his  head,  as  the  prize  of  his  share  and  his  success  in  the 
great  conflict,  he  could  not  bear,  after  having  been  so 
long  accustomed  to  sway  the  Imperial  power,  to  see 
himself  supplanted  by  this  new  comer,  and  his  own 
state  and  importance  seemed  tarnished  by  the  arrogance 
of  the  new  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  who  appeared  at  the 
Diet  with  a  pomp  which  threw  even  his  Imperial 
master  into  the  shade.  His  dismissal  from  his  post  at 
the  head  of  an  Imperial  army,  now  that  the  League 


JOHX    TZERCLAES,    COTJTN'T   TON"    TILLY.  89 

appeared  secure  from  its  enemies,  was  loudly  demanded  of  the  Im- 

by  the  whole  college  of  electors ;  and  the  Emperor  in  P®™* 

an  evil  moment  for  his  fortune  listened  to  the  earnest 

suggestions  of  a  Capuchin  friar  l,  and  determined  on  the 

impolitic  act  of  dismissing  his  great  General,  who  had 

nearly  100,000  men  under  his  command,  and  whose 

name  was  worth  more  than  even  another  such  an  army. 

The  command  of  the  Imperial  armies  was  now  conferred 

on  Tilly  absolutely. 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  King  of  Sweden,  was  one  of  the  Gustavus 

most  zealous  and  conscientious  advocates  of  the  Re-  Adolphus 

becomes 

formation,  and  indeed  he  owed  his  crown  to  his  faith,  the  leader 
for  his  family  had  been  preferred  by  the  Swedes  to  the  of  the  Pro- 
legitimate  heir  to  the  throne,  who  had  adhered  to  Union. 
Catholicism.  His  name  had  indeed  been  frequently  in 
the  mind  of  the  Protestant  Union  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war,  and  came  more  especially  before  them 
at  the  time  that  the  King  of  Denmark  received  the 
direction  of  their  cause ;  but  he  was  deemed  by  some 
to  be  too  young  for  the  post,  and  Christian's  ambitious 
view  upon  the  leadership  had  induced  him  to  stir  up  a 
war, between  Sweden  and  Poland, which  kept  the  Swede's 
hands  occupied,  and  had  thus  prevented  his  prudent 
young  rival,  the  Swedish  King,  from  embarking  in  a 
new  and  dangerous  war.  But  the  intrigues  of  Cardinal 
Richelieu,  who  made  it  the  peculiar  policy  of  France  to 
be  jealous  of  the  power  of  the  House  of  Austria,  con- 
trived to  bring  about  a  truce  with  Poland  after  the 
young  King  had  defeated  King  Sigismund  ;  and  a  peace 
was  concluded  that  gave  the  Province  of  Livonia  to  the 
Swedish  dominions.     There  was  therefore  now  no  longer 

1  Ferdinand's  narrow-minded  bigotry  had  an  influence  upon 
his  actions  that  can  scarcely  be  credited.  Schiller  relates,  on 
the  authority  of  some  writing  of  the  Emperor's  own  confessor, 
"  Nothing  on  earth  was  more  sacred  in  his  eyes  than  a  priest. 
If  it  should  happen  that  an  Angel  and  a  Regular  were  to  meet 
him  at  the  same  time  and  place,  the  Regular  would  receive  the 
first,  and  the  Angel  his  second  obeisance." 


90  JOHN    TZEnCTiA.ES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY. 

any  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  Protestant  Union  in 
claiming  the  assistance  of  Gustavus ;  and  the  heroic 
King  landed  with  an  army  of  1G,000  men  at  Usedom, 
in  Pomerania,  on  the  24th  of  June,  1G30.  The  troops 
which  had  fought  under  Mansfeld,  Christian  of  Bruns- 
wick, the  King  of  Denmark,  and  even  in  the  army  of 
Wallenstein, — officers  and  soldiers,— came  in  crowds 
to  serve  under  the  attractive  standard  of  the  Swedish 
King.  The  exiled  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  driven  to  de- 
spair by  the  refusal  of  the  Emperor  to  restore  to  him 
his  duchy,  openly  espoused  the  cause  of  Gustavus,  and, 
raising  troops  for  his  assistance,  gave  the  command  of 
them  to  the  Duke  of  Saxe  Lauenburg. 
Tilly  takes  An  Imperial  General,  Torquato  Conti,  commanded  in 
the  t'uld  Pomerania  ;  and,  although  too  deficient  in  troops  and 
(Xustavus.  money  to  act  upon  the  offensive  against  the  King,  he 
hoped,  by  a  defensive  policy,  to  give  time  to  Field- 
Marshal  Tilly  to  come  up  to  his  assistance.  But  the 
Imperialists  had  been  ordered  to  rally  about  Branden- 
burg, where  Tilly  had  assumed  the  command.  He  was 
far  from  imdervaluing  his  antagonist.  "  The  King  of 
Sweden,"  said  he,  at  the  Diet  at  ltatisbon,  "  is  an 
enemy  both  prudent  and  brave,  inured  to  war,  and  in 
the  flower  of  his  age.  His  plans  are  excellent,  his 
resources  considerable,  his  soldiers  enthusiastically  at- 
tached to  him.  His  army,  composed  of  Swedes,  Ger- 
mans, Livonians,  Finlanders,  Scots,  and  English,  by  its 
devoted  obedience  to  their  leader,  is  blended  into  one 
nation :  he  is  a  gamester,  in  playing  with  whom, — not 
to  lose,  is  to  win  a  great  deal." 
Lays  siege  Tilly  collected  with  all  expedition  the  Imperial 
to  Magde-  troops,  which  were  now  scattered  all  over  the  Empire  ; 
but  it  required  time  to  obtain  from  the  impoverished 
and  exhausted  Provinces  the  necessary  supplies  to 
enable  him  to  take  the  field.  At  length,  about  the 
middle  of  winter,  ho  led  20,000  men  into  Pomerania  ; 
but  as  the  King,  who  had  already  obtained  possession 
of  Demmin   and  Colberg,  was  prepared  to  contest  the 


JOHN    TZEBCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY.  91 

passes  leading  into  that  Province  with  a  far  superior 
army,  Tilly  saw  the  necessity  of  abandoning  his  for- 
ward plan  of  operation,  and  fell  back  to  Magdeburg, 
before  Avhich  he  sat  down  to  besiege  it.  Pappenheim 
was  at  the  same  time  sent  to  check  the  advance  of  the 
Mecklenburghers  under  Lauenburg ;  but  by  the  cap- 
ture of  Demmin  the  King  made  himself  a  free  passage 
to  protect  the  Mecklenburg  General,  and  was  content 
to  send  Dietrich  Falkenberg  to  be  the  Governor  of 
Magdeburg,  who  was  cordially  received  in  that  capacity 
by  the  magistrates  and  burghers.  Magdeburg,  one  of 
the  most  flourishing  towns  of  Germany,  maintained  a 
republican  independence,  which  inspired  its  citizens 
with  a  brave  heroism,  as  it  had  deeply  imbued  them 
with  Protestant  opinions.  A  superior  officer,  styled 
Administrator,  had  obtained  their  confidence  and  con- 
currence to  defend  their  liberties,  and  had  raised  troops, 
and  made  preparations  against  the  probabilities  of  a 
siege,  before  Gustavus  sent  them  this  distinguished 
military  governor.  Tilly  haughtily  summoned  the 
Elector  of  Saxony  to  comply  with  "  the  Edict  of  Res- 
titution," and  to  order  Magdeburg  to  submit ;  and, 
on  receiving  from  the  Prince  a  spirited  and  resolute 
refusal,  he  repaired  in  person  to  command  his  forces 
before  Magdeburg,  on  the  30th  of  March,  1631,  in 
order  to  push  the  siege  with  vigour. 

Pappenheim  was  therefore  called  back  from  Meek-  Tilly  is  re- 
lenburg,   and  the  outworks  were   soon  carried,  when  p°*  g^_   y 
Falkenberg,  drawing  his   garrison  in  from  the  points  heim  at 
he   could  no  longer  hold,    destroyed  the  bridge  over  Magde- 
the  Elbe,  and  concentrated  the  defence.     The  suburbs 
of  Sudenberg  and  Neustadt  were  at  once  abandoned 
to  the  enemy,  who  reduced  them  to  ashes ;  and  Tilly, 
in  order  to  carry  forward  his  approaches  on  both  sides 
of  the    river,    sent    Pappenheim  across  the  Elbe,  at 
Schonenbeck,  to  attack  the  town  on  one  side,  while  he 
proceeded  with  the  works  on  the  other.     The  garrison 
scarcely  exceeded  2000   infantry  and  a  few  hundred 


JOHN   TZEHCLAES,    COUNT   TON   TILLY. 

horse  of  regular  troops;  but  the  citizens  had  been 
armed,  although  their  want  of  discipline  made  them  hut 
an  indifferent  reinforcement.  Nevertheless  religious 
zeal,  an  ardent  love  of  liberty,  an  invincible  hatred  to 
the  Austrians,  and  the  expectations  of  relief  from  Gus- 
tavus,  banished  all  thoughts  of  surrender  ;  and  they 
resolved  to  defend  themselves  to  the  last  extremity. 
Tilly,  who  fully  expected  that  a  few  days  might  in 
truth  bring  down  the  King  of  Sweden  to  their  aid, 
despatched  a  trumpeter  to  the  Administrator  and  Go- 
vernor, offering  terms  of  capitulation ;  but  he  received 
for  answer,  that  they  would  rather  die  than  surrender. 
The  King's  arrival  at  Potsdam,  and  the  advance  of  his 
outposts  to  Zerbst,  so  filled  the  Generalissimo  with  un- 
easiness, that  he  made  a  second  and  more  favourable 
offer;  but  this  only  increased  the  confidence  of  the 
besieged ;  and,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  caused 
some  negligence  in  the  defence.  The  enemy  now 
pushed  their  approaches  as  far  as  the  ditch,  and  by  the 
continual  bombardment  the  walls  had  crumbled  much, 
and  the  hot  shot  had  set  the  town  in  flames  in  several 
places  ;  but  owing  to  the  excellent  precautions  that 
had  been  adopted  by  the  Governor,  the  fires  had  been 
extinguished  ;  and  a  lofty  tower  that  had  been  over- 
thrown having  fortunately  fallen  sidewise  on  to  the 
walls,  and  not  into  the  ditch,  it  did  not  facilitate  an 
assault.  The  ammunition  of  the  besieged,  however, 
began  to  fail,  and  the  fire  of  the  town  accordingly 
responded  more  and  more  feebly  to  the  cannon  of  the 
Imperialists. 

Tilly  had  abandoned  the  hope  of  obtaining  possession 
of  the  town  by  regular  approaches  before  the  arrival  of 
the  Swedes,  and  therefore  now  determined  to  hazard  a 
general  assault.  It  was  the  9th  of  May,  when  on  a 
sudden  the  fire  of  the  besiegers  ceased,  and  it  was  seen 
from  the  walls  that  the  cannon  was  being  withdrawn 
from  the  batteries.  A  deathlike  stillness  pervaded  the 
Imperial  camp,  and  the  besieged,  soldiers  as  well  as 


JOHN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY. 

citizens,  were  convinced  that  the  Swedish  deliverance 
was  at  hand.  In  this  confidence,  after  the  fatigue  of 
the  night-watch,  the  posts  were  abandoned  at  early 
morning,  and  all  were  indulging  themselves  after 
their  long  toils  in  a  sound  sleep.  A  signal  of  cannon 
fire  at  about  seven  in  the  morning  failed  to  awake 
them ;  when  at  that  hour  Pappenheim  from  one  side, 
and  Tilly  from  the  other,  although  there  was  no  breach 
effected,  escaladed  the  walls,  where  there  was  an  easy 
rampart  and  a  dry  ditch,  and  suddenly  appeared  in 
the  town.  Falkenberg,  aroused  by  the  musketry  fire, 
hastened  from  the  Town-hall,  where  he  alone  was  vigi- 

7  © 

lant,  and  hurried  to  the  gate,  which  he  found  already 
in  possession  of  the  enemy,  when  the  intrepid  General, 
getting  some  of  his  men  together,  fell  upon  some  of 
the  Imperialists,  whom  he  perceived  to  be  scaling  the 
walls,  and,  at  the  first  encounter,  fell  dead  on  the  ram- 
part. The  citizens,  awakened  by  the  firing,  hastened 
to  share  the  danger ;  but  the  Governor  being  killed, 
their  efforts  were  made  without  plan  or  co-operation, 
and  at  last  their  ammunition  began  to  fail  them.  Be- 
fore noon  all  the  works  were  carried  by  the  besiegers, 
and  the  town  was  in  the  enemy's  hands.  Tilly  marched 
in  with  his  infantry,  and,  occupying  the  principal  street, 
planted  his  cannon  so  as  to  command  every  approach ; 
and  the  unhappy  inhabitants  withdrew  into  their  houses, 
to  await  their  destiny. 

The  period  of  a  storm  is  generally  one  of  silence ;  Cruelty  of 

but  a  more  humane  general  than  Tilly  would  have  felt    .  ®.?1P?" 
,  .  .  .  riaust  sol- 

that,  with  an  unbroken  military  force  in  the  very  cen-  diery. 

tre  of  the  town,  he  might  have  restrained  the  violence 
of  his  men ;  but  he  never  made  the  attempt :  the  sol- 
diery broke  into  the  houses  to  indulge  their  brutal 
appetites,  and  their  insatiate  love  of  plunder ;  and  now 
commenced  a  scene  of  horrors  for  which  history  has 
scarcely  a  parallel.  The  soldiery  spared  neither  age 
nor  sex.  The  Germans  are  said  to  have  exercised  some 
slight  forbearance ;  but  the  Croats  committed  cruelties 


!>!  JOHN   TZEUCLAES,    COUNT   TON    TILLY. 

unknown  even  to  savage  life.  In  a  single  church,  Into 
which  the  women  had  fled  for  refuge,  fifty-three  were 
found  beheaded  while  kneeling  before  the  shrine  of 
St.  Catherine.  One  of  these  miscreants  boasted  that 
he  had  stuck  twenty  heads  of  babes  on  his  pike. 
Many  of  them  threw  the  children  into  the  flames,  but 
retained  the  defenceless  mothers  and  daughters  to 
the  double  sacrifice  of  virtue  and  life.  The  noblest 
acts  of  devotion  are  recorded  of  these  heroic  women. 
One  young  lady  of  quality,  seized  by  an  officer,  begged 
the  use  of  her  hands  to  wipe  her  eyes,  and  when  re- 
leased plunged  into  the  river  and  was  drowned.  Other 
young  girls  also  cast  themselves  into  the  Elbe.  Many 
leaped  into  the  flames  of  the  burning  houses,  to  escape 
from  the  brutality  of  the  soldiers.  The  town  had,  in 
fact,  in  the  confusion  been  fired  in  several  places,  and 
the  wind  rising  rapidly  so  increased  the  flames,  that 
137  houses,  and  the  old  Cathedral,  which  was  esteemed 
fire-proof,  were  all  that  in  a  few  hours  remained  of  the 
once  proud  city  of  Magdeburg.  About  4000  persons 
took  up  their  refuge  in  these  buildings,  where  they 
were  for  more  than  three  days  without  food. 
Barbarous  Tilly  never  ordered  any  sack,  but  maintained  a 
excesses       gloomy  and  fatal  silence.     Some  officers  of  the  League 

committed   °  J  .      . 

by  Tilly's  ventured  to  remind  their  General  that  he  had  it  in 
troops.  hjg  pOWer  to  stop  the  carnage.  "  Return  in  an  hour," 
said  he,  "  and  I  will  see  what  I  can  do :  the  soldier 
must  have  some  reward  for  his  danger  and  his  toils." 
It  was  not,  however,  till  five  days  subsequently — the 
14th  of  May — that  Tilly  appeared  himself  in  the  town, 
and  put  a  stop  to  these  disorders.  In  the  interval 
it  is  related  that  he  mislit  have  been  seen  mounted 
on  a  bony  charger,  contemplating  the  ruin  and  havoc 
under  which  Magdeburg  was  writhing,  and  looking 
with  stolid  indifference  on  the  thousands  of  bodies 
floating  down  on  the  waters  of  the  Elbe.  The  de- 
scription given  of  his  figure  is  a  most  graphic  carica- 
ture of  the  outward  man.     He  was  in  person  a  tall, 


JOHN  TZEBCLAES,  COUNT  VON  TILLY.  95 

thin,  haggard-looking  individual,  with  a  pointed  chin, 
and  a  great  deal  of  hair  about  his  face.  He 
was  generally  attired  in  a  long  slashed  green  satin 
jacket  with  slashed  sleeves,  with  one  single  red  feather 
depending  from  a  small  high-peaked  hat,  under  which 
large  piercing  eyes  peered  from  beneath  a  deeply- 
furrowed  brow  of  considerable  breadth.  His  face  was 
sallow,  ghastly,  hollow-cheeked,  with  a  stiff  moustache, 
like  a  brush,  under  a  long  pointed  nose.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  man  was  terrific  and  vulture-like,  with 
an  indescribable  wildness  of  demeanour.  His  return  to 
the  place  after  it  had  been  partially  cleared  of  ashes 
and  dead  bodies  was  accompanied  with  an  act  of  some 
compassion.  He  sent  to  promise  the  wretched  refugees 
quarter,  and  commanded  bread  to  be  distributed  among 
them.  The  Administrator,  who  had  been  taken  pri- 
soner after  receiving  three  wounds,  with  three  of  the 
burgomasters,  was  pardoned.  The  whole  number  of 
the  slain  was  reckoned  at  no  less  than  30,000  persons ; 
and  Tilly  wrote  to  the  Emperor  that  since  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  there  had  been  no  such  spectacle 
as  Magdeburg  had  presented. 

Tilly  announced  its  fall  to  the  Protestant  Princes  in  Gnstavus 
the  tone  of  a  conqueror,  and  lost  no  time  in  making  ^.charged 
the  most  of  the  consternation  it  had  created.     These  electing  to 
complained  loudly  and  generally  against  the  King  of  aid  Magde- 
Sweden,   who    with    so   large    an    army    in   the   very    ur*' 
neighbourhood,  had  left   the  heroic   city  of  the  allies 
to  its   fate ;    and  Gustavus  was  under   the  necessity 
of  publishing  to  the  world  a  justification  of  his  con- 
duct.    Injurious    as   the   immediate    consequences    of 
the  King's  delay  in  advancing  were  to  the  Protestant 
cause  at  the  moment,  its  remoter  effects  were  most 
advantageous.     The  German  freedom  rose  again  like 
a  phoenix  out  of  the  ashes  of  Magdeburg. 

The  Elector  of  Brandenburg  was  the  brother-in-law  Tilly  in- 
of  Gustavus,  and,  cold  as  he  was  in  the  cause  of  religion  vac^'s 
and  liberty,  and  alone  swayed  by  self-interest,  yet  the       °n^ ' 
presence  of  the  Swedish  army  in  his  capital  and  terri- 


96  JOHN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY. 


tory  brought  him  to  his  senses,  and  forced  him  to  pro- 
nounce for  the  Protestant  Union.     Among  the  Princes 
of  the  Leipzig  Confederation,  the  Elector  of  Saxony 
and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  were  still  wavering  in  the 
cause  of  independence.     Tilly  therefore  first  directed 
his  attack   against  the  latter,   and   marched   straight 
from    Magdeburg    into    Thuringia.       The    Imperialist 
General  sent  to  demand  of  the  Landgrave  the  imme- 
diate disbanding  of  his  army,  and  the  reception  of  the 
Emperor's  troops  into    his   territories  and   fortresses. 
The  intrepidity  of  this  Sovereign's  reply  was  admirable, 
with  the  dreadful  fate  of  Magdeburg  so  fresh  in  his 
mind.     "  To  admit  foreign  troops  into  my  capital  and 
fortresses  I  am  not  disposed :  my  troops  I  require  for 
my  own  purposes ;  and  as  for  the  threat  of  an  attack, 
I  can  defend  myself.     If  General  Tilly  wants  money  or 
provisions,  let  him  go  to  Munich,  where  there  is  plenty 
of  both."     The  immediate  result  of  this  spirited  reply 
was  the  advance  of  a  detachment  of  the  Imperialist 
army  under  Count  Fugger,  who  endeavoured  to  excite 
the  Hessians  to  rebellion  ;  but  the  Estates  of  Hesse  did 
not  hesitate  for  a  moment  to  stand  by  their  Landgrave. 
The  Elector  of  Saxony,  without  taking  any  warning 
from   Tilly,   continued  his  preparations  for  resistance, 
and  adhered  to  the  Confederation  of  Leipzig.     Tilly, 
from  his  camp  at  Wolmerstadt,  commanded  him  by  a 
special  messenger  to  open  his  territories  to  the  march 
of  the  Imperial  troops,  and  to  disband  his  forces,  or 
join  them  to  the  Imperial  army.     In  reply,  he  forbade 
the  quartering  of  the  Emperor's  army  in  his  territories, 
and  announced  his  firm  determination  to  persist  in  his 
warlike  preparations.     In  order  to  frighten  him  into 
compliance,  Tilly  sent  deputies  to  the  Elector  to  remind 
him,  that,  of  all  the  German  states,  Saxony  had  hitherto 
been  the  most  respected ;  and  he  threatened,  in  case  of 
pertinacious  disobedience,  to  visit  it  with  the  most  de- 
structive ravages.       Tilly's  deputies  were  entertained 
with  a  princely  reception,  and  with  something  of  an 
ironical  civility  they  were  told,  "  that  the  Saxon  con- 


JOIIN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY.  97 

fectionery  which  had  been  so  long  kept  back  was  at 
length  to  be  set  upon  the  table  ;  but  as  it  is  usual  to 
mix  with  it  nuts  and  garnish  of  all  kinds,  Gentlemen, 
take  care  of  your  teeth." 

Tilly  instantly  broke  up  his  camp ;  and,  before  Gus-  Captures 
tavus  could  move  to  prevent  it,  he  invaded  Saxony  with  eiPzlS- 
the  most  frightful  devastation.  The  Elector,  roused 
by  the  cries  of  his  people,  obeyed  the  pressure  of  cir- 
cumstances, and  fulfilled  their  ardent  desire  by  pro- 
nouncing openly  for  the  Protestant  Union ;  and  the 
King  of  Sweden,  though  inferior  in  force  to  the  army 
of  the  League,  which  had  lately  been  reinforced  by 
25,000  veteran  troops  under  Furstenberg,  advanced 
with  fearless  speed  to  drive  the  invader  out  of  the 
Saxon  territories.  Tilly  had  in  the  mean  time  advanced 
to  Leipzig,  and  summoned  it  to  receive  an  Imperial 
garrison ;  and  on  the  second  day  the  gates  were  opened 
to  him  by  Hans  Vor  der  Pforta,  the  Saxon  commandant, 
and  he  prepared  to  bring  the  King  of  Sweden  to  the 
ordeal  of  a  battle. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  the  7th  Sep-  Battle  of 
tember,  1631,  called  by  the  Germans  Dies  Regince,  the  ^tefi'  ov 
Swedes  and  Imperialists  confronted  one  another  on  the  feid. 
broad  plain  of  the  Elster.  The  Imperial  army  num- 
bered 24,000  infantry,  and  11,000  horse,  with  26  guns, 
and  were  placed  on  a  gentle  height  between  Breitenfeld 
and  Soehausen,  having  the  little  brook  of  the  Loder, 
with  its  marshy  banks,  and  village  of  Podelwitz,  in 
front  of  the  position.  Here  the  Field-Marshal  was 
disposed  to  await  the  reinforcements  which  were  on 
their  way  to  him  under  Altringer  and  Tiefenbach.  As 
soon  as  the  confederate  Swedes  and  Saxons  had  crossed 
the  Mulda,  the  impetuosity  of  Pappenheim  obliged  Tilly 
to  alter  his  arrangement.  He  saw  plainly  that  it  was 
not  his  interest  to  fight  unless  urged  to  it  by  some  un- 
foreseen and  irresistible  necessity.  He  determined 
within  himself  either  to  fortify  his  camp,  or  evade  a 
battle  altogether.     It  was  a  favourite  maxim  with  him 

ii 


OS  JOHN  TZERCLJlES,  count  von  tillt. 

"  never  to  dip  his  foot  into  water  till  he  had  ascertained 
how  cold  it  was;"  and  another  was,  "never  to  wade  a 
stream,  unless  he  could  see  or  feel  the  bottom  of  it." 
With  these  views  lie  called  a  council  of  war  at  the 
grave-digger's  house,  at  which  Tilly  had  his  head- 
quarters, and  where  Schomherg  and  some  of  the  elder 
officers  concurred  with  the  Field-Marshal  on  the  desira- 
bleness of  declining  a  general  battle,  if  that  were  pos- 
sible. Pappenheim,  with  Furstenberg  and  the  younger 
Colonels,  opposed  this ;  but  the  majoi'ity  concurred 
with  the  Commander-in-Chief.  A  fair  champaign  dis- 
trict spreads  itself  all  round  the  city  of  Leipzig,  in 
which  Breitenfcld  is  situated.  The  spot  is  historic,  for 
here  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  overcame  and  took  prisoner 
the  Elector  of  Saxony ;  and  it  had  from  that  or  other 
causes  received  the  name  of  "  God's  acre."  The  two 
armies  were  at  some  distance,  but  within  sight  of  each 
other,  and  the  Imperial  camp  was  protected  with  some 
slight  intrenchments.  The  infantry,  which  had  been 
placed  in  two  lines,  were  now  drawn  up  in  a  single  line  ; 
and  the  artillery  was  so  disposed  upon  the  elevation  be- 
hind it  as  to  sweep  the  extensive  plain  of  Breitenfeld. 
The  cavalry  were  in  strong  masses  on  either  flank  ;  and 
a  reserve  of  six  regiments,  with  cavahy  intermingled, 
stood  in  the  second  line.  The  Swedish  and  Saxon  army 
consisted  of  nearly  20,000  infantry  and  15,000  horse, 
and,  crossing  a  swampy  pass  near  Schortza,  at  once  ad- 
vanced in  two  columns  to  pass  the  Loder,  when  Pappen- 
heim, though  ordered  by  Tilly  not  to  commence  a  battle, 
fell  upon  the  advance  with  2000  cuirassiers,  but,  after  a 
brief  straggle,  was  forced  to  retreat,  after  setting  fire  to 
Podelwitz.  Tilly  sent  up  troops  in  support,  but  could 
not  prevent  the  King  from  advancing,  and  forming  in 
order  of  battle.  As  soon  as  Tilly  saw  this,  he  turned 
round  to  his  staff,  and  said,  "  Now,  my  old  friends,  we 
must  look  for  blows."  On  the  right  the  Swedes  drew 
up  in  two  lines,  the  infantry  in  the  centre,  divided  into 
columns  that  could  be  easily  and  rapidly  manoeuvred, 


JOHN  TZERCLAES,  COUNT  TON  TILLY.  99 

without  disturbing  the  order  of  the  line.  The  cavalry 
were  formed  on  the  flanks,  divided  by  squadrons  in  the 
King's  manner,  having  musketeers  interspersed  in  the 
intervals  to  annoy  the  enemy's  horse.  There  were  100 
iron  four-pounder  guns  arranged  in  front  of  the  army, 
the  left  of  which  was  commanded  by  Gustavus  Horn, 
the  right  by  the  King  in  person,  while  Colonel  Teufel 
commanded  the  centre.  A  considerable  interval  divided 
the  Swedes  from  the  Saxons  ;  which  was  an  arrangement 
concurred  in  between  the  King  and  the  Elector  when 
organizing  the  battle.  Pappenheim  was  opposed  to  the 
King  on  the  part  of  the  Imperialists  ;  and  Furstenberg 
to  Teufel.  Tilly  himself  commanded  in  the  centre. 
The  numbers  on  either  side  were  nearly  equal, — about 
34,000  or  35,000  horse  and  foot  each.  A  cannonade  of 
two  hours  commenced  the  battle  ;  but  the  wind  hap- 
pened to  blow  so  as  to  carry  the  clouds  of  smoke  right 
into  the  faces  of  the  Swedes. 

Tilly  moved  first,  and  fell  upon  the  Saxons,  and  with 
such  impetuosity  as  to  break  their  line  and  throw  the 
whole  army  into  confusion.  The  Croats,  who  formed 
the  attacking  force,  immediately  commenced  plundering, 
and  the  two  forces  were  in  consequence  thrown  into 
disarray  and  intermixed  with  each  other.  Pappenheim 
carried  the  entire  force  of  cavalry  against  the  right 
wing  of  the  Swedes,  but  was  opposed  by  Baner,  under  the 
King,  who  stood  firm  under  the  assaidt,  which,  though 
renewed,  could  never  succeed  ;  so  that  at  length  Pap- 
penheim abandoned  the  field  to  his  adversary.  Tilly,  as 
soon  as  he  had  crushed  the  Saxons,  turned  against  the 
left  wing  of  the  Swedes.  Here  Horn  opened  his  guns 
upon  him,  which  kept  the  Imperial  cuirassiers  at  bay, 
while  the  infantiy,  interspersed  with  horsemen,  proved 
their  formation  completely  effective.  The  Imperialists 
were  already  beginning  to  relax  the  vigour  of  their 
attack,  when  the  King,  having  no  longer  an  enemy  in 
his   immediate    front,  wheeled  his  main  body  to  the 

h  2 


100 


JOHN    TZETtCLAES,    COUNT    VON   TILLY. 


left,  and  attacked  tlio  heights  on  which  the  Imperial 

artillery    were    posted,    and    captured   all    their    guns, 

which    (as    soon    as    lie    had     gained    possession    of 

them)    he   turned    upon    the    enemy.     In    this    part 

Tilly  is  de-  of    the    field    were   posted    the    Walloon     guards,    a 

frated  by     famous    p,ot|y    0f    Castilians,   who    hoasted    that    they 
Gustiivus,  J  '  J 

and  wound-  had  never  yet  fled  from   a  field,    and  who   now  con- 

<•(!  in  ac-  tinued  firm  under  a  murderous  fire,  retreating  to 
a  thicket  near  Soehausen,  where,  though  reduced  to 
GOO  men,  they  yet  maintained  then*  resistance.  Tilly, 
Weeding  from  several  wounds,  made  in  the  mean 
while  the  most  desperate  attempts  to  regain  his  artil- 
lery, while  his  army  fled  away  from  him  on  every 
side.  The  Field-Marshal  owed  his  escape  to  mere 
chance.  Exhausted  hy  loss  of  hlood,  he  was  summoned 
to  surrender  hy  one  Longfritz  (or  Longsides),  a  Swedish 
captain  of  horse,  whom  he  stretched  on  the  ground  hy 
a  pistol  shot,  when  Cronenberg,  at  the  head  of  the 
Walloons,  came  to  the  rescue,  and  carried  the  Field- 
Marshal  safe  from  the  field.  Seven  thousand  of  the 
Imperialists  were  killed  on  the  ground  they  stood 
upon ;  and  more  than  5000  were  either  wounded  or 
taken  prisoners.  The  entire  artillery  and  camp,  with 
more  than  100  standards,  were  the  prizes  of  the  vic- 
tory. Amid  the  dead  and  wounded  Gustavus  Adolphus 
threw  himself  on  his  knees,  and  the  first  joy  of  victory 
gushed  forth  in  fervent  prayer  to  the  great  Giver  of 
it.  The  wreck  of  the  Imperialists  was  so  complete,  that, 
on  reaching  Halberstadt,  Tilly  could  not  rally  GOO  men, 
nor  Pappenheim  more  than  1400  ;  and  the  Field-Mar- 
shal from  this  moment  never  again  recovered  his  cheer- 
fulness or  good  fortune ; — all  former  victories  were  as 
nothing  to  him,  since  he  was  now  surviving  his  well- 
earned  reputation,  and  losing  at  a  blow  the  fruits  of  a 
career  which  the  gain  of  this  one  victory  would  have 
crowned  with  glory.  Not  without  piety  almost  as  fer- 
vent as  that  of  his  triumphant  adversary,  but  of  a 
totally  different  character,  Tilly,  dejected  and  sad,  sat 


JOHN    TZEBCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY.  101 

down  in  his  head-quarters,  at  Halberstadt,  and  smote 
upon  his  breast,  saying, — 

"  Ich  habe  ja  mein  Bestes  gethan, 
Doch  kont  ich  Gott  nicht  wiederstahn." 

The  Generahssimo  was  not,  however,  a  man  to  sit 
down  and  pout.  Scarcely  allowing  time  for  the  cure 
of  his  wounds,  he  was  again  in  the  saddle,  and  hurried 
towards  Lower  Saxony  to  recruit  his  forces  from  the 
Imperial  garrisons  about  the  Weser 2. 

Gustavus  was  equally  on  the  alert,  and  made  himself  Gustavus 
master  of  Merseburg  and  Halle  with  little  difficulty.  and  Tmy 
But  the  question  was,  what  to  do  next  ?  To  have  fresh  en- 
followed  after  Tilly  would  have  been  to  place  the  seat  counters, 
of  war  in  a  mere  corner  of  Germany,  while  the  King 
found  himself  in  the  South  amidst  a  friendly  people, 
enthusiastic  in  the  Protestant  cause,  with  the  road  clear 
to  Vienna,  which  lay  open  and  defenceless  before  him. 
But  Tilly  was  not  slow  in  recovering  his  strength,  and 
was  not  likely  to  allow  his  enemy  to  walk  over  the 
course  without  coming  quickly  upon  his  trace.  "  The 
old  devil,"  as  Gustavus,  writing  to  the  Pfalzgraf, 
called  Tilly,  "  is  already  in  arms  again."  He  could 
not  hope  that  the  Saxon  army  under  such  a  general  as 
Arnheim,  of  whose  military  skill  the  field  of  Breiten- 
feld  had  afforded  but  equivocal  proof,  would  be  of  suffi- 
cient avail  to  stop  Tilly  if  he  should  regain  strength, 
and  by  a  series  of  rapid  successes  attain  again  to  a 
superiority  that  should  animate  the  courage  of  the 
party  of  the  League,  which  it  was  well  known  would  be 
but  temporarily  depressed.  At  this  conjuncture  the 
Emperor  and  the  Princes  were  assembled  in  a  Diet  at 
Frankfort  on  the  Maine  ;  and  the  King  thought  that 
by  marching  on  that  place  he  might  paralyze  the  Im- 

2  In  a  volume  in  the  British  Museum,  entitled  "  Caricatures  of 
the  Thirty  Years'  War,"  there  are  bound  up  some  very  curious 
prints  of  the  battle  of  Leipzig,  as  the  victory  of  Breitenfeld  is 
popularly  called,  showing  the  dress  and  arming  of  the  soldiery  of 
the  two  armies,  and  the  formation  and  order  of  battle  of  the  con»- 
tending  forces,  all  very  clearly  pourtrayed. 


102  JOHN    TZEKOLAES,    COUNT   VON    TILLY. 

perial  power,  and  encourage  the  Protestant  Princes  in 
their  opposition  to  the  Emperor,  and  by  the  prestige 
of  his  presence  determine  the  wavering ;  while  on  the 
other  hand  he  well  knew  that  his  approach  to  the 
Rhine  would  have  a  considerable  influence  on  his 
French  ally.  Eventually  he  elected  for  the  road 
towards  the  Rhine,  leaving  the  Elector  of  Saxony  to 
occupy  Bohemia. 
Tilly  en-  The  consternation  of  the  Emperor  and  of  the  Ca- 

lttri"vcShU tholic   LeaSue   at   TiuYs  defeat  at   Breitenfeld  was 

disaster.  excessive;  nevertheless,  they  knew  that  they  were  still 
powerful.  In  Franconia,  Suabia,  and  the  Palatinate, 
the  Imperialists  held  garrisons  that  could  only  be  over- 
come by  dilatory  sieges  ;  while  the  Spaniards  were  ready 
to  dispute  with  the  King  the  passage  of  the  Pihine,  and 
were  in  force  in  the  dominions  of  the  banished  Elector. 
Every  Papist,  whether  German,  French,  or  Spaniard, 
was  in  his  heart  an  inveterate  foe  to  Gustavus;  and 
Tilly,  not  the  least  so,  was  already  in  his  rear  with  a 
fast  recruiting  force,  augmented  by  auxiliaries — the 
Elector  of  Cologne  and  the  Prince  of  Lorraine — and 
burning  with  impatience  to  wipe  out  the  stain  of  his 
defeat  by  a  reassuring  victory.  He  had  already  sent 
repeated  messages  to  Altringer,  to  desire  him  to  come 
speedily  and  join  him  in  the  Duchy  of  Brunswick  ;  and 
he  had  put  his  army  in  order  of  march,  and  established 
his  head-quarters  at  Fulda.  He  earnestly  requested 
permission  of  Maximilian  to  carry  them  forward,  to 
give  battle  to  Gustavus  ;  but  the  Elector  was  too 
cautious  to  permit  the  only  army  remaining  to  the 
League  to  be  compromised  by  a  second  hazard,  and 
authoritatively  commanded  him  to  refrain.  He  was 
therefore  compelled  to  inactivity  for  the  present ;  but 
nevertheless,  on  receiving  a  reinforcement  of  12,000 
men  from  Lorraine,  he  marched  from  Aschaffenburg  to 
disturb  the  King,  who  had  sat  down  to  the  siege  of 
Wuxzburg.  That  town  and  citadel  successively  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  conqueror,  as  well  as  the  town  of 
Hanau;  but  Tilly  contrived  to  save  a  few  of  the  garr1- 


JOHN    TZEECLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY.  .  103 

sons  from  the  impetuosity  of  the  Swedes,  and,  crossing 
the  Maine  near  Sehgenstadt,  he  marched  to  the  Berg- 
strasse,  to  protect  the  Palatinate  from  the  enemy. 

Charles,  Duke  of  Lorraine,  however,  not  only  sent  Is  aided  by 
troops  to  the  aid  of  Tilly,  hut  himself  took  the  field  of eLor.  e 
against  the  Swedes  at  the  head  of  17,000  men.  This  raine. 
Prince  appears  to  have  been  known  already  for 
great  unsteadiness  of  character,  and  a  very  heated 
ambition.  He  hoped  to  obtain  in  the  cause  of  the 
Emperor  the  electoral  dignity  ;  and  therefore,  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  suggestions  of  a  rational  policy,  he  at 
once  ran  the  risk  of  exasperating  his  nearest  neighbour, 
the  King  of  France,  and  rashly  measured  his  arm  with 
the  Swedish  King,  for  whom  he  was  no  match.  With- 
out military  ability,  he  was  a  martinet  in  the  equipment 
of  his  troops,  who  were  brought  up  against  the  Swedes 
in  the  most  splendid  and  showy  accoutrements.  They 
were  accused,  however,  of  being  very  lax  in  discipline, 
and  of  evincing  their  prowess  more  freely  against  the 
defenceless  peasantry  than  they  were  likely  to  do  against 
the  bravery  and  solid  formation  of  the  Swedes.  On  the 
first  panic,  from  the  Swedish  cavalry,  this  splendidly  at- 
tired army  made  no  stand,  and  fled  from  their  canton- 
ments about  Wurzburg  even  across  the  Rhine.  The 
Duke  himself,  loaded  with  shame  and  ridicule,  hurried  to 
his  house  at  Strasburg  ;  and,  as  he  passed  a  village  near 
the  Ehine,  it  is  related  that  a  peasant  struck  his  horse 
as  he  passed  by,  crying  out,  "  Haste,  sir  ;  you  must  go 
quicker  to  escape  from  the  great  King  of  Sweden." 

The  formidable  presence  of  the  armies  of  the  League  Lays  siege 
had  hitherto  kept  down  the  Franconian  States ;   but  J°^^J" 
now  that  the  seat  of  war  had  been  carried  towards  the  takes  Bam- 
Rhenish  frontier,  the  Protestants  held  up  their  heads,  berg, 
and  collected  together  their  strength  at  Nuremberg, 
which  they  placed  in  some  condition  of  defence.     Tilly, 
unable  to  check  the  Swedish  arms  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Wurzburg,    and  probably    acting   under  the 
orders  of  his    superior  in  taking  his  army  nearer  to 
Bavaria,   while    Gustavus    was    actually    across    the 


104  JOHN    TZERCLAES,    COUNT   TON   TILLY. 

Rhine,  eat  down  before  Nuremberg,  and  threatened  it 
with  the  cruel  fate  of  Magdeburg  ii'it  hesitated  to  sub- 
mit to  his  summons.  The  King  of  Sweden  no  sooner 
heard  of  the  straits  into  which  the  Protestants  were 
brought  by  this  vigorous  action  of  Tilly  in  Franconia, 
than,  being  unwilling  to  expose  himself  a  second  time  to 
the  reproaches  of  Germany  for  betraying  a  confederate 
city  to  a  ruthless  enemy,  he  suddenly  abandoned  the 
siege  of  Ehrenfels  across  the  llhine,  and  hastened  by 
forced  marches  to  the  relief  of  Nuremberg.  Tilly  no 
sooner  heard  of  the  approach  of  the  Swedish  army,  than, 
in  compliance  with  his  orders,  he  raised  the  siege,  and, 
collecting  fresh  reinforcements,  assumed  a  formidable 
front,  before  which  Gustavus  Horn,  who  had  been  left 
by  the  King  to  watch  him,  could  effect  nothing.  This 
Swedish  General  had  obtained  possession  of  the  town 
of  Bamberg  by  stratagem  :  but  the  Bishop  was  a  zealot 
for  the  League,  making  no  scruple  of  clothing  himself 
in  armour  like  a  cavalier,  and  his  townsmen  were 
for  the  most  part  attached  to  him,  and  strongly  op- 
posed to  the  King  of  Sweden.  The  city  was  not  sur- 
rounded with  walls,  and  was  called  accordingly  in  deri- 
sion "  The  Large  Village  ;  "  but  Horn  began  at  once 
to  throw  up  intrenchments,  which  were,  unfortunately, 
of  too  great  extent  for  his  limited  army.  When  Tilly 
therefore  came  down  upon  him  at  the  head  of  1(5,000 
men,  the  Imperial  advance,  consisting  of  2000  in- 
fantry, under  Cratz  and  Fahrenbach,  with  Cronen- 
berg's  cavalry,  fell  upon  some  of  the  Swedes  in  their 
unfinished  works,  and,  speedily  overcoming  them,  pur- 
sued them  to  the  head  of  the  bridge,  which  Horn 
only  just  succeeded  in  blowing  up,  and  thus  checked 
their  entrance  into  the  city.  Tilly,  however,  brought 
up  his  guns,  which  opened  so  heavy  a  fire  upon  the 
Swedes,  that  Horn  sent  off  his  guns  and  ammunition 
across  the  Maine,  and,  taking  charge  himself  of  his 
rear,  succeeded  in  carrying  all  his  army  across  that 
1  '"jV s  ™f*  river  at  Eltenau,  and  destroying  all  the  bridges. 

MULL  It*.   «IL 

the  Lech.         Tilly's  success  at  Bamberg  now  urgently  demanded 


JOHN   TZEECLA.ES,    COUNT   VON   TILLY.  105 

the  King's  presence  in  Franconia ;  and,  uniting  him- 
self at  Goldensheim  with  the  detachments  of  Horn, 
Baner,  and  the  Duke  of  Weimar,  Gustavus  found  him- 
self at  the  head  of  40,000  men,  with  whom  he  occu- 
pied Aschaffenburg.  Maximilian  was  now  imperatively 
called  upon  to  decide  in  what  way  his  opponent's  vic- 
torious career  might  be  checked.  His  General,  too 
weak  in  numbers  to  encounter  the  King,  had  fallen 
back  towards  the  valley  of  the  Danube  ;  and  it  was 
now  for  the  Elector  to  determine  whether  he  should 
endeavour  to  prevent  the  inroad  of  Gustavus  into 
Austria,  or  to  cover  the  frontiers  of  his  own  states 
with  tbe  Bavarian  army.  A  potent  sense  of  his  own 
interest  induced  him  at  length  to  adopt  the  latter 
alternative,  at  the  risk  of  rendering  it  the  seat  of  a 
destructive  war.  Tilly  had  thrown  a  garrison  of  1200 
or  1500  men  into  Donauwerth,  of  which  he  had  given 
the  Duke  of  Saxe  Lauenberg  the  command,  with  direc- 
tions to  hold  it  as  firmly  as  he  could,  or  until  he  could 
bring  up  his  army  to  its  assistance.  The  King  was 
sensible  of  the  importance  of  this  place  to  his  opera- 
tions, as  it  is  recognized  as  the  passage  of  the  Danube, 
tbat  is,  as  it  were,  the  key  to  Bavaria.  He  therefore 
marched  his  army  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  a  day; 
and  at  once,  on  his  arrival  before  the  place,  assaulted 
and  gained  possession  of  an  outwork.  From  tbence  he 
sent  a  trumpeter  to  the  governor,  who  returned  this 
short  answer,  "  that  the  King  knew  better  than  any 
man  what  was  the  duty  of  those  who  had  nothing  to 
rely  on  but  honour  and  the  point  of  the  sword ;  and 
that  he  had  no  tribute  to  pay  His  Majesty,  except  in 
gunpowder."  Gustavus,  however,  threw  such  vigour 
and  energy  into  his  attack  upon  that  place,  that  Lauen- 
berg could  not  maintain  himself  in  the  town  ;  and  since 
Tilly  was  unable  to  raise  the  siege,  he  successfully 
executed  a  retreat  from  the  ramparts  by  marching  off 
under  the  heavy  fire  of  the  King's  siege  batteries.  Gus- 
tavus, having  thus  got  possession  of  the  ramparts, 
secured  the  north  bank  as  far  as    Ulm,  and   crossed 


106  JOIIN   TZERCLAES,    COUNT   VON   TILLY. 

the  Danube  on  the  8th.  And  now  the  tributary  stream 
of  the  Lech  alone  divided  the  Imperialist  and  Swedish 
armies.  Tilly  detected  the  design  of  His  Swedish 
Majesty  of  invading  Bavaria  by  these  movements; 
and  he  accordingly  broke  down  the  bridges  across  the 
Lech.  He  cantoned  his  troops  all  along  the  Bavarian 
Bide  for  an  extent  of  sixteen  miles  ;  and,  judging  where 
it  was  most  likely  that  Gustavus  would  attempt  to 
cross,  he  erected  some  huge  batteries,  and  placed  some 
chosen  veteran  soldiery  to  man  them.  On  the  side  of 
the  Lech  occupied  by  Tilly  was  the  town  of  Bain,  and 
here  he  formed  a  very  strongly  intrenched  camp,  which, 
surrounded  by  three  rivers,  appeared  to  bid  defiance  to 
all  possible  attack  ;  and  the  whole  course  of  the  stream 
was  occupied  by  the  Imperialists  as  far  as  Augsburg, 
which  was  secured  by  a  strong  Bavarian  garrison.  The 
Elector  himself  threw  himself,  with  his  personal  guard, 
into  Tilly's  camp,  as  if  with  some  presentiment  that  his 
fortune  was  centred  on  the  battle  that  he  saw  it  was 
now  incumbent  upon  him  to  fight. 
Tilly  is  Gustavus   had   overrun  the  whole    country  around 

mortally  Augsburg ;  and  the  melting  snows  of  the  Tyrol  in  the 
month  of  March  rendered  all  the  many  streams  he  had 
to  cross  over  a  work  of  danger  and  difficulty,  that  would 
cause  a  defeat  to  be  attended  with  inevitable  destruction 
with  such  torrents  in  his  rear ;  so  that  when  he  came 
up  to  the  bank  of  the  Lech,  opposite  the  Bavarian  in- 
trenchmcnts,  his  council  strongly  urged  upon  him 
not  to  attempt  to  cross  its  boiling  torrent,  which 
threatened  inevitable  loss  to  the  rash  attempt  both 
from  fire  and  water,  and  also  exposed  the  exhausted 
troops,  who  might  in  despite  have  successfully  got 
across,  to  the  necessity  of  attacking  a  fresh  and  vigo- 
rous enemy  in  an  impregnable  camp.  But  the  King's 
resolution  was  fixed.  His  Majesty  accordingly  pro- 
ceeded to  reconnoitre  the  position  assumed  by  Tilly  in 
his  front.  It  was  an  exceedingly  strong  one,  having 
its  right  flank  covered  by  the  fortified  town  of  Rain, 
defending  its  broken  bridge ;  intrenchments  also  corn- 


wounded. 


JOHN    TZEItCLAES,    COUNT    VON    TILLY.  107 

manded  the  marshy  ground  that  bordered  the  river,  for 
the  advantage  of  the  inequality  of  the  banks  was  in 
favour  of  the  Imperial  Commander ;  and  abattis  and 
every  ingenious  obstacle  rendered  exceedingly  difficult 
all  the  approaches  from  those  points  where  the  bridges 
across  the  Lech  had  been  destroyed ;  while  the  Aicha,  a 
tributary,  with  steep  banks  that  surrounded  the  camp, 
was  also  guarded  by  a  flying  detachment  of  8000  men 
with  guns.       Tilly  knew  well  the  extraordinary  im- 
portance of  this  inlet  into  Bavaria,  and  so  cantoned  his 
troops  in  greater  or  less  divisions,  as  to  have  it  in  his 
power  to  assemble  himself  at  any  point  of  attack.    His 
troops  were  thus  disposed  in  good  order  on  the  banks 
of  the  Lech  opposite  the  Swedes  for  the  space  of  sixteen 
miles,  and  a  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery  never  ceased, 
while  Tilly  employed  himself  every  hour  in  examining 
the  slopes  and  windings  of  the  stream.     But  the  ex- 
perienced eye    of   Gustavus    detected   in   the   various 
reconnaissances  he  made,  that  his  side  of  the  river, 
opposite    Bain,    was    higher    by    about    a    dozen   feet 
than   the   side    of  the   Bavarian    camp,  and   that    at 
this  spot  the  preponderance  of  the  Swedish  artillery 
could  be  brought  to  bear  with  considerable  advantage 
upon  all  the  obstacles  that  had  been  prepared  by  Tilly. 
Profiting  therefore  by  this  circumstance,  he  immediately 
caused  three  batteries  to  be  erected,  and  armed  with 
seventy-two  field-pieces.     With  equal  presence  of  mind 
the  King  perceived  a  small  island  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  which  could  cover  an  attempt  to  bridge  it.    Tilly 
apparently  did  not  anticipate  the  attempt  to  throw  a 
bridge  across  at  the  place  selected,  or  thought  himself 
able  to  prevent  its  being  made  use  of;  for  indeed  the 
spot  was  covered  with  thick  beds  of  osiers,  and  was 
knee-deep  in  slime  and  water.     It  was  Thursday  morn- 
ing, April  the  5th,  when  the  guns  opened,  under  the 
direction  of  the  artillerist  Torstenson,  tearing  up  every 
thing  at  150  yards'  distance :   the  King  sent   across 
two  boats,  in  which  were   chosen  engineers,  pioneers, 
and  soldiers,  who  instantly  threw  up  mounds  of  earth 


108  J01IN   TZERCLAES,    COUNT   VON   TILLY. 

and  Bide  parapets  ;  and  CJustavus,  who  himself  witnessed 
this  success,  remarked  to  his  generals  "  that  he  would 
now  compound  for  a  victory  at  the  expense  of  1000  or 
2000  of  his  hest  men."     As  soon,  therefore,  as  Tilly 
heard  that  the  head  of  the  Swedish  column  had  in  this 
way  crossed  the  river,  he  galloped  up  to  the  spot  with 
his  second  in   command,  General  Altringer,   hut   had 
scarcely  reached  the  bank  of  the  river  when  both  were 
struck  with  cannon  shot — the  one  in  the  head,  and  the 
other  in  the  knee,  and  Tilly  was  so  shattered  by  a  falconet 
shot,  that  he  was  brought  to  the  ground.   The  loss  of  the 
Generalissimo  filled  Maximilian  with  the  utmost  alarm  ; 
but  the  dying  man  immediately  sent  to  his  chief  the 
urgent   advice  that    he  would  march  immediately  to 
obtain  possession  of  Ilatisbon,  in  order  to  secure  the 
advantage  of  placing  the  Danube  between  him  and  his 
adversary.     The  Elector,  therefore,  acting  upon  this 
sound  advice,  yielded  up  his  impregnable  position,  broke 
up  his  camp,  and  retreated  from  the  field  in  good  order. 
The  next  day  Gustavus  occupied  the  hostile  camp ;  and 
when  he  saw  the  preparation  that  had  been  made  for 
his  reception,  he  exclaimed,   "  I  would  as   soon  have 
burned  my  beard,  as  have  had  to  win  such  a  position!" 
Tilly's  last        The    wounded   Tilly   was    carried    in    the   Elector's 
moments.     coach  ^0  Ingoldstadt,  in  which  town  he  breathed  his 
last.     The  Elector  of  Bavaria  sat  by  his  bedside  till  he 
expired.  "  Oh  !"  said  Tilly  to  his  Highness,  "  would  that 
I  had  expired  at  the  great  day  of  Leipzig,  instead  of 
thus  surviving  my  fame ;  for  it  would  have  been  both 
to  your  advantage,  and  my  honour !     Two  things  I 
desire  to  leave  on  your  Highness's  mind,  as  my  dying 
advice, — Never  break  your  alliance  with  the  Emperor  ; 
and  make   General   Cratz  commander  of  your  army. 
That  officer  has  courage  to  serve  you,  fidelity  to  con- 
tent you,  and  parts  to  assist  you.     He  will  conduct 
your  troops  with  reputation,  and,  as  he  knows  Wallen- 
stein,  will  traverse  the  designs  of  that  insolent  man. 
Not  being  conscious  that  I  have  ever  used  your  High- 
ness ill  in  the  command  of  your  armies,  I  shall  ask  no 


JOIIN   TZEBCLAES,    COUNT   VON   TILLY.  109 

forgiveness  for  myself,  and  am  contented  and  thankful 
to  die."  He  then  kissed  the  hand  of  the  Elector,  who 
retired  in  tears.  For  twelve  years  Tilly  had  had  an 
unbroken  career  of  victory  against  many  renowned 
antagonists,  and  in  spite  of  many  disproportionate 
numbers  against  him.  But  his  glory  waned  before 
the  superior  generalship  or  good  fortune  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus.  It  was  thought  at  the  time  that  the 
avenging  manes  of  Magdeburg,  and  the  effect  of 
retributive  justice,  had  brought  upon  Tilly  the  later 
misfortunes  which  tarnished  the  laurels  of  his  earlier 
victories.  At  any  rate,  by  his  death  the  Imperial  army 
and  the  cause  of  the  League  sustained  an  irreparable 
loss,  and  Maximilian  of  Bavaria  was  deprived  of  a 
zealous  and  most  faithful  General. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Tilly  has  been  already  His  per- 
described,  but  it  has  been  doubted  whether  it  has  been  sonal  aP" 
coloured  to  the  life.  All  agree  that  he  was  an  ex-  anci  cha- 
tremely  ugly  man ;  but  some  say  he  was  a  very  tall,  racter. 
and  some  that  he  was  a  very  short  man.  He  always 
retained  the  air  and  manner  of  a  monk,  even  at  the 
head  of  an  army ;  and  he  is  said  to  have  been  remark- 
able for  virtues  seldom  found  in  the  military  profession 
— chastity  and  temperance.  He  was  moreover  an 
enemy  to  every  species  of  parade,  marching  with  his 
troops  in  most  unsoldierlike  guise,  mounted  on  a  mean 
and  beggarly  palfrey.  He  was,  however,  popular  with 
the  soldiers,  to  whom  he  was  always  kind,  considerate, 
and  liberal ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  odium  that  has 
been  attached  to  his  memory  by  all  history  for  the  cruel 
excesses  at  Magdeburg,  he  incurred  it  from  no  benefit 
from  them  for  himself,  but  solely  and  avowedly  for  his 
followers.  It  is  true  that  he  was  a  very  bitter  Romanist, 
and  hated  the  Protestants  with  a  most  unquenchable 
hatred ;  and  this  feeling  may  possibly  have  had  its  in- 
fluence in  the  cruel  resolve  by  which  he  gave  over  that 
unhappy  city  to  desolation.  It  is  recorded  of  him 
that  he  died  poor ;  but  whatever  property  he  possessed 


110  JOHN     rZEBCLAES,   COUNT   VON   THiLT. 

he  bequeathed  to  the  old  soldiers  who  had  longest 
served  under  him;  excepting  one  rich  diamond  ring, 
which  had  been  given  him  by  the  Infanta  Isabella, 
which  he  bequeathed  to  the  Holy  Virgin  of  Oettingen 8. 
Thus  died  John  Tzerclaes,  Count  von  Tilly,  of  whom 
it  may  be  right  to  observe  that,  bora  a  Walloon,  he 
had  passed  through  every  6tage  of  military  life,  from  a 
foot  soldier  to  the  post  of  Generalissimo.  He  could 
boast  that  he  had  not  lost  one  of  six  and  thirty  actions 
in  which  he  had  commanded,  until  conquered  by  the 
superior  generalship  of  Gustavus  Adolphus.  It  may 
therefore,  I  think,  be  reasonably  concluded  that  Tilly 
owed  the  unbroken  success  that  attended  his  earlier 
career  to  military  qualities  that  were  rather  physical 
than  educational ;  for  his  abilities  in  strategy  and 
tactics  are  never  mentioned  by  his  contemporaries. 
His  ardent  zeal  for  Catholicism,  which  was  doubtless 
sincere,  but  which  partook  largely  of  superstition,  may 
have  bestowed  upon  his  character  firm  resolution,  great 
determination  of  purpose,  self-confidence,  and  that  con- 
viction of  success,  through  vows  and  prayers,  which 
often  does  something  to  obtain  it.  Moreover,  there 
was  during  the  first  years  of  the  conflict  more  homo- 
geneity in  the  composition  of  the  Imperial  armies  than 
was  to  be  found  in  any  other.  They  were  all  subjects 
of  the  Emperor,  and  of  the  same  faith,  which  they  were 
banded  together  to  uphold  and  exalt.  The  troops  of 
Maximilian  of  Bavaria,  which  Tilly  commanded,  were 
also  better  organized  before  the  defeat  at  Leipzig  than 
any  to  whom  they  had  been  opposed  before  the  arrival 
of  the  Swedes.  Tilly  may  certainly  be  placed  high  in 
the  roll  of  warriors  for  his  many  victories,  but  not  in 
the  same  first  line  of  generate  with  Maurice  of  Nassau, 
Spinola,  or  Count  Mansfeld. 

3  Schiller,  Kricgs-Kunst  Lexikon,  Biographies,  passim. 


GUSTAVUS  ADOLPHUS, 

KING  OF  SWEDEN. 


Bom  1594     Died  1633. 


This  great  and  good  man  was  the  son  of  Charles  IX.,  His  birth, 
King  of  Sweden,  and  his  Queen  Christina  of  Holstein.  Parenta&e' 
He  was  also  grandson  of  Gustavus  Encson  Wasa,  the  cation, 
great  deliverer  of  Sweden,  who  was  the  first  Protestant 
Prince  that  ever  wore  a  diadem.     The  great  name  of 
Gustavus  is  justly  dear  to  Sweden,  and  the  Northern 
wits  accordingly  endeavoured  to   anagrammatize   the 
letters  that  form  the  word  into  Augustus  ;  and  by  the 
transformation  of  a  u  into  a  v  the  attempt  may  be  ac- 
complished.    Gustavus  Adolphus  showed  many  shining 
natural  qualities  from  his  early  childhood,  and  his  edu- 
cation was  carefully  fostered,  and  is  said  to  have  much 
resembled  that  which  had  been  bestowed  on  Henry  IV. 
of  France  ;  although  no  two  men  were,  perhaps,  ever 
more  dissimilar  in  their  after-characters.     The  boy  was 


112  GUSTAVrS    ADOLPIll'S. 

inured  to  hardships  from  the  beginning.  He  was 
habituated  to  feed  wholesomely,  but  not  luxuriously. 
Heat  and  cold  were  to  be  borne  indifferently  ;  and  the 
young  man  was  initiated  into  every  athletic  exercise, 
and  learned  the  duties  of  a  common  musketeer  almost 
before  he  could  carry  a  musket.  At  the  same  time  that 
the  frame  of  the  young  Prince  was  thus  forming  for 
military  employment,  his  mind  was  placed  under  the 
guidance  of  competent  and  learned  tutors.  The  cir- 
cumstances under  which  his  family  sat  upon  the  throne 
of  Sweden  required  more  particularly  that  he  should  be 
modelled  as  a  Protestant  champion  and  defender  of  the 
faith  ;  and  never  did  there  exist  a  youth  who  was  so 
ready  and  willing  to  devote  himself  to  the  task  of  up- 
holding the  faith  of  Protestantism,  and  whose  disposi- 
tion was  so  naturally  pious.  He  was  taught  all  the  living 
languages,  and  spoke  Latin  with  fluency.  He  was 
partial  to  the  mathematics,  and  an  eager  student  of 
fortification  and  every  military  science.  He  had  by 
nature  a  fertile  genius,  and  a  prodigious  memory,  with 
great  docility,  and  a  readiness  in  acquiring  information 
beyond  example.  It  was  also  observed,  from  his  earliest 
manhood,  by  the  youth  who  were  his  contemporaries 
and  associates,  that  he  was  remarkable  for  strict  moral 
and  religious  principles ;  and  he  evinced  through  life 
strong  devotional  feelings  on  every  occasion  of  fortune, 
whether  prosperous  or  adverse,  and  was  already  dis- 
tinguished for  his  resolute  attachment  to  the  faith  of 
which  he  was  destined  to  become  so  illustrious  a  hero. 
His  first  Having  been  appointed  by  the  King,  his  father,  to 

campaign.  j)e  a  Colonel  of  cavaby,  Prince  Gustavus  made  a  cam- 
paign against  the  Danes  in  1611,  when  he  had  only 
just  attained  his  seventeenth  year.  He  was  ordered, 
as  an  essai  (Formes,  to  storm  the  town  of  Christianopel ; 
which  he  did  sword  in  hand,  having  burst  open  the 
gate  by  the  application  of  a  petard  ;  and  he  entered  the 
town,  which  then  was  a  seaport  upon  the  Baltic  be- 
longing to  Denmark,  but  which  has  been  long  since 


GUSTAVTIS    ADOLPHUS.  113 

annexed  to  Sweden.  Towards  the  conclusion  of  the 
campaign  he  made  a  descent  by  night  upon  one  of  the 
Danish  islands,  at  the  head  of  2000  musketeers,  and 
had  the  misfortune  to  sink  into  a  morass  covered  with 
ice  not  sufficiently  frozen,  where  he  lay  with  his  horse 
under  him  struggling  in  the  water  against  many  enemies, 
until  he  was  relieved  by  a  company  of  cavalry  led  for- 
ward to  his  assistance  by  young  Baner. 

Charles  IX.  died  at  Stockholm  on  the  30th  October  His  acces- 

in  that  same  year,  leaving,  besides  Gustavus,  only  one  flou  to  \. 

i-ii       r.  •  \*     i      •  -ill      throne  dis- 

surviving  child, — Princess   Catherma,  married  to  the  puted  by 

Count  Palatine  of  the  Ehine,  and  mother  of  Charles  Sigismund. 
Louis,  who  eventually  succeeded  to  the  throne  of 
Sweden.  There  were  at  the  moment  peculiar  circum- 
stances that  affected  the  immediate  accession  of  Gus- 
tavus. John,  Duke  of  Ostrogothia,  and  his  half-brother 
Sigismund,  King  of  Poland,  were  both  of  them  sons  of 
the  elder  brother  of  the  late  King,  and  therefore  by  the 
laws  of  consanguinity  more  eligible  to  the  crown  than 
Gustavus,  who  was  only  the  immediate  heir  of  his 
father.  But  the  elder  branch  had  been  put  aside  by 
the  arrangement  of  1594,  under  which  Charles  IX.  had 
succeeded  ;  and  although  the  Duke  of  Ostrogothia  had 
himself  conformed  to  Protestantism,  and  was  therefore 
preferable  to  his  brother  King  Sigismund,  yet  he  had 
generously  resigned  all  his  pretensions  in  favour  of  his 
cousin,  at  the  same  time  that  the  Queen  Dowager, 
step-mother  to  Gustavus,  made  a  full  resignation  of 
her  claim  to  the  Regency,  which  by  the  law  of  Sweden 
was  justly  her  right  until  the  male  heir  should  attain 
his  twenty-fourth  year.  Under  all  these  favourable 
concessions  Gustavus  behaved  himself  with  very  great 
moderation.  The  Chancellor  Oxenstierna,  with  the 
consent  of  the  Queen  Dowager  and  Prince  John,  con- 
vened an  assembly  of  the  States  at  Nicoping,  to  examine 
into  the  rights  of  succession  ;  when  the  young  Gustavus, 
in  a  public  speech,  assured  the  assembled  Senate  that 
his  youth,  inexperience,   and  the  great   difficulties   of 

I 


114  GTJSTAYUS   ADOLPnUS. 

state  affairs,  made  him  anxious  to  decline  so  dangerous 
a   pre-eminence.       "  Nevertheless,"    he   said,    "  if  the 
States  persist  in  making  me  King,  I  will  endeavour  to 
acquit  myself  with  honour  and  fidelity."     The  decision 
of  the  States  was  unanimous  in  holding  firm  to  the 
disposition  of  inheritance  made  in  1594  ;  and  Gustavus 
being  formally  proclaimed  King,  he  received  the  Holy 
Communion,   and    passed  through  the  ceremonies   of 
inauguration  on  the  31st  December,  1611. 
War  with         It  was  next  deliberated  in  the  Senate  whether  to 
the  Dams,  prop0se  a  peace  or  truce  to  the  Danes,  Polanders,  and 
Musc'o-        Muscovites,  or  to  continue  the  war;    and  it  was  re- 
vites.  solved  to  support  the  young  King  with  spirit.     His 

Majesty  accordingly  summoned  a  public  convention 
after  his  inauguration,  to  consider  the  ways  and  means 
of  dealing  with  his  enemies.  The  situation  of  Gustavus 
was  truly  critical.  He  had  on  the  one  hand  two  pro- 
fessedly avowed  and  dangerous  opponents, — the  Dane 
and  the  Muscovite,  and  in  Sigismund,  King  of  Poland, 
a  personal  rival,  an  indefatigable  pretender  to  his 
throne  and  dominions,  and  an  ardent  zealot  for  the 
Romish  faith.  On  the  other  hand  it  had  to  be  con- 
sidered that  the  interior  parts  of  his  kingdom  required 
that  new  activity  should  be  infused  into  agriculture 
and  commerce,  and  that  particular  attention  should  be 
paid  to  the  rich  resources  that  might  be  obtained  from 
the  mines  ;  and  it  required  great  tact  in  a  young  man 
of  eighteen,  to  govern  a  kingdom  just  rendered  heredi- 
tary in  his  family,  and  where  every  one  of  a  certain 
birth  and  rank  had  an  unsettled  affection  to  his  person, 
for  they  secretly  repined  at  seeing  the  grandson  of  a 
subject  raised  to  a  throne,  and  thought  they  had  equal 
claim,  and,  in  a  certain  sense,  equal  pretensions  with 
himself.  But  the  great  characteristic  of  Gustavus  in 
every  difficulty  was  an  unalterable  firmness  when  he 
had  adopted  a  resolve,  and  in  this  spirit  he  now  acted. 
With  extraordinary  resolution  he  kept  all  his  nobles  at 
a  distance  and  in  subjection,  and  gave  the  world  an  early 


GITSTAYFS    ADOLPDUS.  115 

insight  into  his  character,  by  the  uncommon  judgment 
and  sagacity  he  displayed  in  rallying  them  to  his  side, 
and  enlisting  their  concurrence  in  his  actions.  He  ap- 
pointed to  all  public  posts,  civil  and  military,  persons 
the  most  remarkable  for  their  merit,  and  took  for  his 
principal  counsellor  the  famous  Oxenstierna,  although 
not  more  than  ten  years  his  senior  in  age, — a  man 
whom  posterity  considers  in  the  light  of  a  statesman 
that  has  never  been  equalled. 

Although  soon  after  his  accession  an  Ambassador  Invades 
from  James  I.  of  England  exhorted  the  young  King  Denmark, 
to  make  peaee  with  His  Majesty's  brother-in-law  of 
Denmark,  yet  King  Christian  discovered  such  unbe- 
coming eagerness  to  crush,  or  overreach,  the  young 
inexperienced  monarch  of  Sweden  in  all  his  negotiations, 
that  Gustavus  thought  it  expedient  to  give  his  artful 
neighbour  to  understand  that  he  did  not  in  the  least 
fear  him  on  a  field  of  battle,  and  he  deemed  it  advisable  to 
bring  this  to  matter  of  proof.  Accordingly  he  resolved 
to  invade  the  Danish  territories.  He  forthwith  entered 
Norway  with  an  army,  having  first  given  public  com- 
missions to  privateers  to  interrupt  the  commerce  of  that 
kingdom  by  sea.  Christian  IV.  was  a  Sovereign  of  only 
twenty -three  years  of  age,  and  not  likely  to  be  cowed 
by  the  young  Swede.  But  he  was  stronger  by  land 
than  by  sea,  and  accordingly  laid  siege  to  Jonkoping, 
which  threatened  an  entrance  into  the  heart  of  Sweden, 
and  soon  brought  back  Gustavus  out  of  Norway  in  some 
perplexity.  Christian  occupied  the  strong  citadel  which 
commanded  the  Wetter  Lake,  and  ruined  the  town  and 
adjacent  district,  but,  intrenching  his  army  judiciously, 
declined  fighting  ;  until,  by  perpetual  checks  and  inter- 
ruptions, he  so  blunted  the  impetuosity  of  his  youthful 
assailant,  that  he  wearied  out  his  patience,  and  mortified 
his  hopes  ;  and  Gustavus,  finding  that  he  was  likely  soon 
to  have  King  Sigismund  on  his  hands  in  Carelia,  where 
he  would  have  to  defend  in  person  a  district  180  miles 
long  and  90  broad ;  and,  seeing  that  he  could  not  shine 

i  2 


11G 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPlll  S. 


Defeats  the 
Russians  in 
Livonia. 


Effects  re- 
forms in 
the  admi- 
nistration, 
and  various 
improve- 
ments in 
the  condi- 
tion of  his 
people. 


as  he  expected  to  have  done  against  King  Christian, 
he  accepted  the  mediation  of  England,  and  on  the 
10th  January,  1G13,  concluded  a  peace  with  Denmark, 
to  the  surprise  and  astonishment  of  Europe. 

Gustavus  after  this  sent  Oxenstierna  as  Ambassador 
to  King  Christian,  to  express  his  desire  to  establish  a 
permanent,  substantial,  and  well-concerted  peace  with 
Muscovy  and  Poland.  The  former  had  recently  made 
a  new  election  of  their  Czar,  at  which  both  Sweden  and 
Poland  had  been  disgusted,  for  one  of  the  ancient 
Demetrian  race  had  been  preferred  to  the  families  of 
Vasa  or  Sigismund ;  and  accordingly  the  latter  King 
was  found  readily  disposed  to  unite  with  Gustavus  in 
repelling  the  new  Czar,  who  had  declared  war  against 
them.  His  Swedish  Majesty  at  once  took  the  field, 
and  took  by  storm  the  strong  fort  of  Kexholm,  upon 
the  Lake  Ladoga.  He  then  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Fin- 
land, and  sat  down  to  besiege  Plesko,  or  Pskof ;  but 
the  Russian  army,  24,000  strong,  coming  against  him 
to  disturb  this  operation,  Gustavus  encountered  and 
defeated  them  on  the  confines  of  Livonia  and  Russia. 
In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1617  he  carried  his 
army  to  the  mouth  of  the  Narova,  where,  on  an  island, 
is  situated  the  stupendous  fortress  called  Notteberg 
Castle,  constructed  by  Ivan  Basilowitz  over  the  steep 
banks  of  the  river.  This  he  took  by  capitulation,  and 
found  there  provisions  and  ammunition  enough  to 
supply  his  army.  But  the  great  pacificator-general, 
James  I.  of  England,  again  succeeded  in  reconciling 
the  combatants  ;  and  Gustavus  returned  home,  having 
obtained  from  the  Muscovites,  by  the  treaty  of  Stolba,  a 
large  sum  of  money  and  a  considerable  slice  of  territory. 

During  the  short  pause  from  military  transactions 
that  now  occurred,  the  King,  having  convened  his 
States,  passed  through  the  forms  and  ceremonies  of  a 
coronation  at  Upsal.  The  moderate  repose  he  now  for 
a  short  space  of  time  enjoyed  may  be  looked  upon 
almost  as  the  only  rest  he  ever  tasted,  from  the  time 


GUSTAVTTS    ADOLPHTJS.  117 

that  he  was  an  adult  man  to  the  premature  close  of  his 
brief  but  active  life.  He  at  this  time  applied  himself 
with  uncommon  diligence  to  comprehend  the  true 
nature  of  commerce,  and  to  the  art  of  easing  as  much 
as  in  him  lay  the  pressure  of  taxes  upon  his  people. 
He  also  proceeded  to  reduce  his  kingdom  to  a  more 
uniform  and  well-connected  system  of  government. 
He  made  some  useful  alterations  for  the  despatch  of 
business,  so  that  it  might  not  be  impeded  in  his  absence 
in  war.  He  was  very  sensible  of  the  deplorable  and 
wretched  state  of  the  Swedish  marine  ;  and,  knowing 
the  extraordinary  advantages  of  maritime  strength,  he 
paid  great  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  navy,  and 
endeavoured  to  obtain  the  best  officers  and  mariners  he 
could  from  Holland  and  the  Hansetowns  to  aid  this 
object. 

Sigismund,  King  of  Poland,  was  a  Prince  of  a  rest-  Composes 
less,  turbulent,   caballing,   and    ambitious    spirit,   and  dissensions 
employed  all  his  time  in  projecting  and  executing  a  himself  and 
number  of  attempts  to  repossess  the  Swedish  crown.  Sigismund, 
Political  missionaries  and  insidious  proclamations  were  p0iand. 
dispersed  in  such  abundance,  that  Gustavus  was  forced 
to  adopt  acts  of  reprisal.     But  although  he  managed 
the  pen  with  as  much  address  as  the  sword,  it  was  most 
in  his  nature  to  cut  the  Grordian  knot  of  a  controversy 
with  that  instrument  which  he  considered  the  most 
effectual  agent.     Accordingly  he  resolved  to  take  the 
field  against  his  adversary,  and  endeavoured  to  surprise 
him  by  embarking  under  the  protection  of  18  ships, 
and  landing  in  the  province  of  Livonia,  when  he  took 
Dunamond  and  Windau  upon  the  Baltic.     The  time  and 
manner  of  making  this  invasion  upon  his  neighbour 
were  very  opportune,  for  Bethlem  Grhabor,  Prince  of 
Transylvania,   exasperated  against   Sigismund  for  the 
assistance  he  had  given  the  Emperor  in  the  Hungarian 
war,  had  at  this  time  formed  a  design  for  conquering 
Moldavia,  a  part  of  which  province  belonged  to  the 
King  of  Poland,  and  he  introduced  Turks  and  Tartars 


118  QiUBTATUB    ADULl'HUS. 

into  Poland  to  effect  this  object.  This  introduction  of 
Asiatic  barbarians  into  an  European  contest  had,  how- 
ever, tho  effect  of  shocking  the  prejudices  of  Gusta- 
vus  ;  and  accordingly  he  readily  listened  to  Sigismund's 
humble  request  and  supplication,  and,  though  the 
whole  province  of  Livonia  lay  at  his  mercy,  concluded 
a  two  years'  truce  with  the  King  of  Poland,  on  the 
principle  of  the  uti  possidetis :  in  the  hope  that  the 
barbarians  might  be  chastised,  and  tbat  he  might  in 
the  mean  while  settle  amicably  and  by  mutual  consent 
the  differences  that  subsisted  between  himself  and  his 
kinsman  and  neighbour. 
Improves  After  this,  Gustavus  again  applied  liimself  to  depart- 
and  navy.  men^al  affairs.  His  navy  was  already  so  much  reformed 
and  improved,  that  it  obtained  a  respectable  reputation 
throughout  tho  whole  European  ocean.  The  military 
departments  were  also  improved  in  discipline,  as  well  as 
in  matters  of  his  own  invention  in  arms  and  artillery. 
Seeing  that  Sweden  possessed  the  best  steel,  from  which 
all  offensive  armour  was  formed,  and  that  this  occa- 
sioned considerable  exports  to  Spain  and  Italy,  he  be- 
thought himself  to  establish  in  his  own  dominions 
manufactories  of  swords  and  firearms,  that  might  equal 
those  from  Brescia  and  the  Ebro.  He  also  paid  up  the 
sums  still  owing  to  Denmark,  in  order  that  he  might 
take  away  all  pretest  on  the  part  of  Christian  to  renew 
hostilities,  and  threaten  the  rear  of  his  dominions  in  case 
of  his  again  going  to  war  with  Poland — an  event  which 
he  saw  was  likely  soon  to  occur.  He  also  proposed  a  per- 
sonal interview  with  his  brother  Sovereign  at  a  frontier 
town,  to  which  he  repaired,  and  there  passed  the  time 
from  February  25  to  March  11  in  friendly  hospitality. 
It  was  about  this  time  that  he  inherited  several 
valuable  territories  and  castles  by  the  death  of  his 
cousin  John,  Duke  of  Ostro  and  Wester-gothia.  It 
happened  that  he  and  Oxenstierna  were  lodged  in  one 
of  these  residences,  to  settle  the  occupancy  of  this  in- 
heritance, and  that  it  took  fire  in  the  night,  and  spread 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS.  119 

with  so  much  vehemence  that  the  doors  and  staircases 
were  soon  in  flames.  They  could  only  save  themselves 
from  the  fury  of  the  flames  by  throwing  themselves  out 
of  the  windows,  in  which  act  the  Minister  received  some 
worse  contusions  than  the  Sovereign.  But  the  danger 
was  not  even  then  over,  for  the  castle  was  surrounded 
by  a  moat,  which  almost  touched  the  edifice,  and  His 
Majesty  and  the  Chancellor  were  obliged  to  cross  it  by 
dashing  into  the  water  and  wading  up  to  their  shoulders 
in  water,  ooze,  and  filth. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  1620  Gustavus  passed  in  Weds  the 
a  disguised  habit  through  the  chief  towns  in  Germany,  gi1"068!! 
and  returned  home  by  way  of  Berlin,  in  order  to  see 
the  Princess  Maria  Eleonora,  sister  of  the  Elector,  who 
was  then  in  her  twentieth  year,  and  a  beauty  of  a  grace- 
ful and  majestic  kind.  The  lady  was  a  consort  worthy 
of  him,  both  as  a  heroine  and  a  Christian.  It  is  thought 
that  he  wooed  and  won  the  Princess  in  despite  of  her 
brother  the  Elector,  and  eloped  with  her  from  the 
Prussian  capital.  He  introduced  her  as  his  Queen  into 
Stockholm  with  extraordinary  pomp  ;  and  the  nuptials 
having  been  then  solemnized,  he  appointed  the  cere- 
mony of  her  coronation  for  the  month  of  November. 

But  while  Gustavus  was  thus  employed  in  the  pur-  Attempt 
suits  of  love  and  pleasure,  his  Polish  rival  narrowly  ^g^s. 
escaped  a  sudden  danger  in  his  capital  at  Warsaw,  mund. 
where  an  Italian  nobleman,  from  some  personal  dislike, 
having  concealed  himself  behind  the  door  of  a  church, 
with  a  small  battle-axe  struck  Sigismund  in  his  hand, 
in  the  cheek,  and  on  the  shoulder,  as  he  entered  the 
sacred  edifice.     The  assailant  was  immediately  seized 
by  Uladislaus,  the  King's  son,  and  was  put  to  a  horrible 
torture,  by  having  his  breasts  torn  off  with  hot  pincers 
at  the  two  principal  gates  of  the  city,  and  his  limbs 
torn  to  pieces  by  wild  horses.     But  the  King  escaped 
with  little  hurt. 

The  intercourse  between  Sweden   and  Poland  had  Invests 
been  for  some  time  in  a  very  unsatisfactory  state  ;  and    lga' 


120 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPIIUS. 


Riga  sur- 
renders, 
after  a 
brave  de- 
fence. 


Gustavus,  seeing  the  inevitable  consequence,  had 
secretly  made  great  preparations  for  a  renewal  of 
the  contest  with  his  kinsman,  both  by  sea  and  land. 
In  1G21  therefore,  declining  the  custom,  then  still 
prevalent,  of  despatching  a  herald  to  declare  his  inten- 
tions, he  embarked  24,000  men  in  a  fleet  commanded 
by  his  Admirals,  Gildenheim  and  Fleming,  and,  after 
encountering  a  violent  storm  in  the  passage,  landed 
them  at  Mulgrab,  on  the  coast  of  Livonia,  the  capital 
of  which  province — Riga — he  at  once  invested.  It 
stands  on  the  river  Dwina,  about  two  leagues  from  its 
mouth  ;  and  the  estuary  of  the  Dwina,  which  is  a  safe 
and  commodious  harbour,  divides  the  city,  which  is 
large,  with  a  commercial  population,  but  well  for- 
tified, according  to  the  science  of  the  times.  The 
King  encamped  with  his  army  on  the  Dunes,  to  the 
east  of  the  river,  having  7000  infantry  and  cavalry, 
commanded  by  his  brother  Charles,  Horn,  Baner,  and 
Ruthven,  under  him.  De  la  Gardie,  with  about  5000 
men,  commanded  a  second  division,  Wrangel  a  third, 
and  Claudius  Fleming,  brother  of  the  Admiral,  guarded 
the  shores,  while  the  ships  lay  stationed  at  the  river 
mouth.  The  fortress  was  well  prepared  for  defence ; 
the  bastions  and  ravelins  were  in  good  repair ;  and  it 
was  garrisoned  by  a  considerable  body  of  regular  in- 
fantry. The  citizens  were  enthusiastic  in  Sigismund's 
interest,  and  formed  themselves  into  a  militia  for  the 
defence  of  their  toAvn. 

As  this  was  the  first  siege  of  consequence  in  which 
Gustavus  had  been  engaged,  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
he  was  a  very  Proteus  in  the  number  of  characters  he 
sustained, — general,  engineer,  pioneer,  miner,  and  gene- 
ral assailant.  He  would,  in  his  eagerness  to  set  an 
example  to  the  men,  strip  to  his  shirt,  and  work  away 
in  the  trenches  with  pick-axe  and  shovel ;  exhorting  his 
brother  generals,  and  other  officers,  who  stood  around, 
to  follow  his  example.  It  is  said  to  have  been  a  re- 
mark of  Charles  V.,  "  that  no  King  had  ever  been  killed 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  121 

by  a  cannon-ball,"  and  Gustavus  was  not  an  exception 
to  the  fact,  for  he  was  amidst  continual  danger ;  and 
men  a:id  officers  were  killed  and  wounded  on  every  side 
of  him,  and  yet  he  escaped.  He  sent  a  trumpet  into 
the  city,  with  proposals  of  an  honourable  nature  to  the 
commander  and  magistrates  ;  but  with  very  great  in- 
sult they  sent  the  messenger  back  to  the  King  blind- 
folded, and  quite  drunk.  His  Majesty  accordingly,  in 
his  anger,  shelled  the  town  incessantly  ;  but,  relying  on 
Sigismund's  promise  of  relieving  them,  the  besieged 
maintained  their  courage,  and  continued  an  energetic 
defence.  The  Prefect  of  Lithuania,  Radzivil,  a  man  of 
the  first  quality  in  Poland,  now  arrived  with  10,000  foot 
and  4000  horse,  to  the  assistance  of  Riga,  and  to  throw 
some  supplies  into  the  town  ;  but  he  could  not  raise  the 
siege.  The  great  strength  of  the  King's  cannon-fire 
frustrated  the  design ;  and  Radzivil,  without  evincing 
much  activity  or  energy,  was  glad  to  march  away, 
leaving  Gustavus  to  carry  on  his  further  operations 
undisturbed.  He  now  endeavoured  to  fill  up  the  town- 
ditch  with  fascines  and  rubbish,  and  rendered  himself 
master  of  a  ravelin ;  but  the  besieged  sprang  a  mine 
under  the  half-moon,  which  blew  up  100  Swedish  sol- 
diers. Gustavus  then  employed  the  Dalecarnian  miners 
to  circumvent  the  citizens,  and  at  length  effected  a 
breach,  at  which  he  thought  to  enter  by  the  construc- 
tion of  a  peculiar  bridge  of  wood,  which  he  threw  across 
the  fosse  in  the  night ;  but  the  ardour  of  attack 
brought  such  a  crowd  of  men  upon  it,  that  it  broke 
under  them ;  and  the  garrison,  sallying  forth,  reduced 
the  King's  ingenious  structure  to  a  heap  of  ashes.  An 
attempt  to  carry  an  outwork  by  Horn  and  Baner  also 
failed ;  but  the  King,  not  in  the  least  dismayed,  ap- 
plied Ihmself  again  to  mining  ;  and  towards  the  middle 
of  September  the  rampart  and  the  ditch  were  all  under- 
mined, and  two  new  bridges  were  prepared  capable  of 
admitting  five  soldiers  in  front.  A  general  assault  was 
then  ordered  to  take  effect  upon  the  springing  of  all 


122  OUSTAVTJS   ABOLPKl  B 

the  mines  ;  and  on  hearing  of  this  the  inhabitants 
began  to  be  terrified.  Morally  certain  now  that  he 
should  obtain  possession  of  Riga,  he  allowed  the  be- 
sieged but  a  short  deliberation.  But  with  true  military 
generosity  he  again  offered  honourable  conditions  of 
surrender  to  those  who  had  well  performed  their  duty 
to  their  King,  although  they  had  carried  themselves 
towards  His  Majesty  in  disrespectful  and  injurious 
terms. 
His  gene-        The  instant   Gustavus   entered   the   town-gate,   he 

rous  treat-  directed  his    steps  to   the  great  church  of  St.  Peter, 

ment  <>t  the  L  ° 

citizens.       where  he  kneeled  down,  and  returned  his  thanks  to 

God  in  a  short  prayer.     The  people  of  Riga  were  loud 

in  their  praises  of  their  conqueror,  and  represented  him 

to  Radzivil  as  a  Prince  of  unparalleled  clemency  and 

generosity.      But   the    Pole    coldly  replied,  that  "he 

was  not  displeased  to  hear  that  the  King  of  Sweden 

was  a  Christian."     His  Majesty  never  once  upbraided 

the  inhabitants  for  the  fatigue  and  mischief  that  their 

obstinate  resistance  had  occasioned  him,  but  told  them 

"  he  never  desii'ed,  nor  expected,  better  duty  from  them 

than  they  had  shown  then'  former  master ;  upon  which 

account  he  should  not  only  preserve  their  privileges, 

but  enlarge  them." 

Captures  Having   fully   garrisoned   Riga,  Gustavus   invested 

DaiKimond  and  took  Danamond,  at  the  head  of  14,000  men,  and 

j.au  afterwards  made  himself  master  of  Mittau,  the  capital 

and  residence  of  the  Dukes  of  Courland  ;  of  which  place 

he  made  Wrangel  governor,  with  a  garrison  of  2000 

men.     But  he  assured  the  reigning  Duke  of  his  favour, 

and  that  he  would  restore  the  place  to  him  when  he  had 

made  conditions  with  Sigismund ;    which  engagement 

was  eventually  made  good  by  the  King  of  Sweden.     A 

truce  then  ensued,  which  was  to  last  till  the  expiration 

of  the  year  1622,  in  the  course  of  which  Gustavus  had 

the   affliction  to  lose  his  brother,  who  died  at  Narva, 

January  26th,  in  his  twenty-first  year; — a  prince  of 

acknowledged  courage,  and  remarkable  for  uncommon 


OUSTATUS    ADOLPHTJS.  123 

sweetness  of  temper  :  and  he  was  loved  and  regretted 
extremely  by  the  King,  whom  he  had  accompanied  in  all 
his  dangers,  and  who  had  made  him  the  confidant  of  all 
his  designs.  The  grief  for  the  death  of  his  brother 
was  the  more  profound,  inasmuch  as  Gustavus  had  not 
as  yet  any  child  by  his  Queen  Eleonora. 

In  1623,  the  truce  with  Poland  having  expired,  Gus-  Renewal  of 
tavus,  deeming  it  his  best  pohcy  to  make,  rather  than  wi^h  Po. 
to  repel,  an  invasion,  embarked  his  army  in  a  fleet  of  land, 
sixty-six  vessels,  of  which  twenty  were  large  ships  of 
war,  and  appeared  to  the  astonishment  of  Sigismund, 
who  himself  witnessed  the  approach  of  his  adversary 
from  a  watch-tower  at  Dantzig.     The  cousins  imme- 
diately bombarded  each  other  with  all  their  great  guns. 
This  was  followed  by  an  interchange  of  messages  and 
negotiations ;   but  the  year  ended  without  any  affairs 
more  hostile  than  had  already  alarmed  the  town  of  Dant- 
zig, which  forthwith  made  a  profession  of  neutrality, 
and  so  escaped  a  siege.     The  politics  of  Europe,  how- 
ever, began  to  be  felt  in  these  ice-bound  regions ;  and 
French  and  Spanish  intrigues  bearing  upon  the  great 
German  contest  (which  had  been  now  already  commenced 
some  years),  began  to  influence  the  conflict  between 
Gustavus  and  Sigismund.     His  Catholic  Majesty  sent 
the  Count  de  Solre,  a  Flemish  Grandee  and  a  Knight 
of  the  Golden  Fleece,  to  the  Polish  King ;  while  His 
Christian  Majesty  sent  one  Charrasse,  an  agent  with 
full  powers,  but  without  credentials,  to  stir  up  the  two 
cousins   to  fresh   war   for   their   pleasure   or   benefit. 
Sigismund  frankly  told  the  Spanish  Ambassador  that 
Spain  could  not  render  him  the  slightest  service,  unless 
she  sent  a  fleet  into  the  Baltic ;  and  Gustavus  was  too 
sharp-sighted  not  to   discern  the  designs  of  Cardinal 
Richelieu,  and  cordially  agreed  with  Sigismund  not  to 
be  the  dupe  of  this  Spanish  and  Italian  interference  ; 
and  they  accordingly  agreed  to  a  fresh  cessation  of  arms 

between  Sweden  and  Poland,  to  hold  till  June,  1625. 

•  •  c  .li  •    Oustavus  s 

When  the  time  had  arrived  lor  the  expiration  ol  tins  successful 


m 


(iVSTVVUS    ADOLPHVS. 


campaign  truce,  fresh  negotiations  had  ensued  ;  and  Oxenstiema, 
in  Poland.  wj10  conducted  the  conference,  said  that,  in  expecta- 
tion of  a  treaty  being  to  be  adjusted,  he  had  his  mas- 
ter's commands  to  prolong  the  armistice  till  August 
next  ensuing,  when  it  was  clear  that  the  season  for  a 
campaign  would  have  elapsed.  The  affair,  however, 
having  at  length  terminated  without  any  decision, 
Gustavus  again  embarked  his  army  in  a  fleet  of  seventy- 
six  ships,  and  sailed  for  Livonia  early  in  the  ensuing 
year ;  and  by  the  beginning  of  AprU  1626,  he  had  made 
himself  master  of  the  Castle  of  Kokerhausen,  an  im- 
portant fortress,  near  the  banks  of  the  Bwina ;  and  he 
then  conquered  Selburg,  Dinaberg,  Nidorp,  and  Pot- 
navia, — all  well  supplied,  and  garrisoned  by  Polish  sol- 
diers. He  afterwards  encountered  in  the  field  the  young 
Saprieha,  at  the  head  of  the  Polish  army,  who  sought 
to  begin  a  battle  at  the  very  moment  when  he  ought 
to  have  avoided  one,  and,  rushing  into  an  unequal 
action,  fell  a  sacrifice  to  his  vigilant  and  determined 
opponent,  and  lost  most  of  his  baggage,  and  a  consi- 
derable portion  of  his  artillery.  The  King  then  throw- 
ing a  bridge  over  the  Dwina,  continued  his  successful 
course,  taking  many  important  places,  some  by  force 
and  some  by  stratagem.  Yet  all  these  successes  did 
not  render  His  Majesty  averse  to  an  accommodation ; 
and  accordingly  he  despatched  Oxenstiema  once  more 
to  propose  terms  of  peace  to  Sigismund. 
Total  de-         At  length  a  considerable   battle   was   fought   near 

PoUshfthC  Walhoff>  on  the  vast  Plain  of  Semigallia  (which  is  a 
army  under  portion  of  the  Duchy  of  Courland),  where  the  Polish 
army  was  commanded  by  Leo  Saprieha,  the  father  of 
the  other  general,  and  a  prince  not  deficient  in  fine 
parts,  but  somewhat  too  old  for  the  command  of  an 
army,  as  his  son  had  proved  himself  too  young.  The 
action  was  sharp,  but  was  soon  brought  to  a  conclusion 
in  favour  of  the  Swedes.  Count  Thum  commanded  their 
right,  and  Gustavus  Horn  their  left ;  and  on  the  other 
hand  the  Polish  army  was  composed  for  the  most  part 


prieha. 


GUSTAYUS   ADOLPHTTS.  125 

of  Lithuanians,  then  esteemed  the  best  soldiers  in 
Poland.  Gustavus,  previously  to  the  engagement,  is 
said  to  have  sent  a  trumpet  to  the  Polish  commander, 
with  this  message,  "  That  as  there  were  two  such 
things  in  the  world  as  peace  and  war,  he  made  him  the 
compliment  of  choosing  that  which  he  preferred."  To 
which  Saprieha  replied,  "  That  he  had  hut  one  object  of 
ambition,— that  of  making  a  fair  trial  with  His  Ma- 
jesty upon  equal  ground."  The  Polish  armies  were 
always  principally  composed  of  horse,  which  it  was 
believed  in  those  days  no  infantry  could  withstand. 
But  Gustavus  had,  as  has  been  related,  occupied  him- 
self especially  with  the  arming  and  tactics  of  his  foot 
soldiers,  and  although  the  bayonet  had  not  yet  been 
introduced,  the  pike  had  been  very  much  improved  in 
efficacy ;  and  the  columns  of  infantry  were  always 
marshalled  with  musketeers  and  pikemen  combined, 
which  rendered  them  quite  equal  to  withstand  the 
shock  of  cavalry.  Accordingly,  the  issue  of  the  battle 
that  now  ensued  was  most  triumphant.  The  Poles 
were  completely  overcome,  lost  all  their  artillery  and 
baggage,  and  a  great  number  of  standards  and  pri- 
soners, and  left  1600  men  dead  on  the  field. 

In  the  midst  of  this  new  prosperity  Gustavus  again  Captures 
offered  terms  of  peace  to  Sigismund ;  but  the  Polish  JJ^JJ'^J 
King  remained  inflexible,    notwithstanding   that    the  0f  Prussia 
effects  of  his  Swedish  adversary's  extraordinary  abilities  at  this 
for  war  had  been  signally  displayed  in  all  the  Livonian  p 
campaigns.      The  art  of  investing,    and  the    skill   of 
besieging,  fortified  towns,  and  the   successes  of  more 
than  one  pitched  battle,  were  alone  sufficient  to  have 
disheartened  any  antagonist ;  but  national  misfortunes 
had  also  gathered  around  Sigismund  at  this  juncture. 
Gustavus   therefore   pursued   his    career,    and,  to  the 
utter  astonishment  of  every  one  at  his  temerity,  car- 
ried his  army  by  sea  into  the  harbour  of  Pillau,  which 
town  was  then  garrisoned  by  the  troops  of  the  Elector 
of  Brandenburg,  as  Duke  of  Prussia.     It  may  be  use- 


12G  ausTAvus  adolpttus. 

ful  to  relate  that  at  this  time  Prussia  was  divided  into 
two  parts,  one  of  which  belonged  to  the  King  of 
Poland,  and  one  to  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  the 
former  possessing  Dantzig  and  all  that  lies  to  the  east 
of  the  Vistula,  the  latter  the  country  upon  the  Baltic 
on  the  north,  and  lying  along  the  frontier  of  Livonia, 
Lithuania,  and  Courland.  Pillau  was  a  place  of  some 
importance  on  the  Baltic,  about  twenty  miles  distant 
from  Koenigsburg ;  and  the  Governor  at  once  yielded 
the  place  on  the  King's  first  summons.  Gustavus 
brought  his  flotilla  of  boats  into  the  Frisch,  and,  dis- 
embarking his  troops  on  its  shores,  rested  there  some 
time,  dealing  with  the  whole  country  as  if  it  were  his 
own.  He  took  Brauensbcrg  and  Frawnberg,  and  trans- 
ferred the  collegiate  and  town  fibraries  to  that  of  his 
Swedish  University  at  Upsal.  He  afterwards  took 
Bavensberg,  and  sat  down  to  besiege  Elbingen,  a  strong 
and  important  city,  whose  governor  yielded  it  upon 
favourable  terms,  and  put  His  Majesty  into  possession 
of  money,  refreshment,  and  a  vast  quantity  of  military 
stores,  very  convenient  for  his  necessities.  He  also 
successfully  engaged  several  Polish  Generals  at  the 
head  of  more  than  16,000  soldiers  in  several  affairs  of 
moment.  Marienberg,  which  had  been  the  seat  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Teutonic  Order,  to  whom  Prussia  for- 
merly belonged,  was  thought  not  to  be  sufficiently 
garrisoned  ;  and  it  was  said  that  one  Penclau,  the  go- 
vernor, was  not  above  listening  to  terms  of  compromise. 
The  King  accordingly  invited  him  to  supper,  when  the 
custodian  frankly  surrendered  both  town  and  castle 
during  the  repast,  and  gave  up  his  provincial  chest  as 
surety  for  the  due  performance  of  his  promise.  In 
short,  the  King  of  Sweden  made  himself  master  of  the 
whole  of  Polish  Prussia,  and  set  his  eye  upon  the  pos- 
session of  Dantzig,  to  which  he  at  length  laid  siege. 
Siege  of  Circumstances  were  in  some  sort  more  favourable  to 

Dantzig.      him  than  to  Sigismund  ;  for  the  King  of  Poland  was 
fully  occupied,  and  necessarily  absent  from  his  army. 


GTTSTAYtrS   ADOLPHUS.  127 

The  Cossacks  had  invaded  the  Chersonesus ;  and  the 
Grand  Signior  had  recalled  all  his  Turks  and  Tartars 
from  the  service  of  the  Polish  King ;  moreover,  violent 
personal  animosities  had  broken  out  at  this  moment 
between  Sigismund  and  his  generals,  as  well  as  be- 
tween the  generals  themselves.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  Gustavus  was  an 
opponent  of  no  ordinary  magnitude.  His  army  was 
organized  in  a  manner  superior  to  what  had  heretofore 
been  witnessed  in  war.  He  was  not  only  a  first-rate 
general  in  the  field,  but  he  was  an  administrator  of 
wonderful  acquirements.  The  commissariat,  the  guns, 
the  siege  equipment,  and  the  discipline  and  morale  of 
his  army,  were  perfect.  He  had  vigilance  to  provide, 
activity  to  examine,  and  resolution  to  execute,  what- 
ever appeared  to  come  within  the  range  of  forethought. 
His  troops  were  well  clothed,  well  paid,  and  well  fed, 
and,  it  is  almost  unnecessary  to  subjoin,  admirably 
led  into  action.  He  allowed  of  no  plunder,  cruelty, 
debauchery,  nor  immorality, — all  which  were  forbidden 
no  less  by  his  example  than  by  his  command ;  for  he 
made  his  officers  and  soldiers  as  like  himself  as  cir- 
cumstances would  admit. 

While  Gustavus  was  before  Dantzig,  the  towns-  The  siege 
people  sent  him  deputies,  who  so  far  cajoled  the  King  °aise^w 
that  he  carried  on  the  siege  feebly,  until  the  King  of 
Poland  himself  arrived  at  Graudentz  at  the  head  of 
30,000  men.  Sigismund  instantly  laid  siege  to  Mew,  a 
small  town  at  the  confluence  of  the  Versa  and  Vistula, 
where  he  intrenched  himself  within  works  of  circum- 
vallation.  Gustavus  was  unwilling  to  raise  the  siege 
of  Dantzig,  and  having  made  a  careful  reconnoisance 
of  the  Polish  works,  he  attempted  to  storm  them,  but 
without  success,  after  a  struggle  that  lasted  two  entire 
days.  The  Poles,  however,  were  sufficiently  alarmed 
to  break  up  from  before  Mew,  and  to  permit  the  King 
to  enter  that  place,  where  he  rewarded  the  garrison  for 
then-  resolution  and  bravery.    He  desired  his  chaplain  to 


128  GUSTAVUS    ADOLPIIUS. 

perform  a  service  in  the  nature  of  a  "TeDeum"  before 
the  garrison,  and  at  the  end  Gustavus  addressed  to  them 
this  pious  and  appropriate  remark  :  "  That  he  never 
doubted  the  success  of  a  battle  when  Moses  held  up  his 
hands  on  the  mount."  The  campaign  concluded  with- 
out any  very  denned  success  on  either  side ;  and  soon 
after  his  return  to  Stockholm  the  Queen  presented 
Gustavus  with  a  daughter  (afterwards  Queen  Christine), 
on  whom  he  settled  the  succession,  and  whom  he  de- 
clared heiress  to  the  Swedish  throne. 
Gustavus         Early  in  the  year  1627,  Gustavus  was  exposed  to 

enber  an"  one  °^  ^n0  ^ew  reverses  ne  experienced  in  any  of  his 
campaigns.  A  body  of  8000  men  under  two  leaders  of 
mark — Colonels  Strief  and  Teuffel — were  surprised  by 
the  Polish  General,  Conospoliski,  and  taken  prisoners. 
It  was  the  month  of  May,  however,  before  he  carried 
his  fleet  to  Prussia,  and  he  opened  a  new  campaign 
at  the  head  of  a  brave  and  disciplined  army  with  the 
siege  of  Marienberg,  which  he  soon  reduced,  though  it 
was  well  supplied  with  provisions  and  military  stores, 
and  doubly  garrisoned.  He  heard,  however,  that 
Adolphus,  Duke  of  Holstein,  was  marching  with  a 
body  of  Imperial  troops  to  the  assistance  of  Sigismund  ; 
and  he  therefore  resolved  to  anticipate  this  reinforce- 
ment by  attacking  the  Polish  army  at  Dirschau.  Here 
he  at  once  fell  upon  the  Polish  infantry  with  the 
Swedish  cavalry  so  effectually,  that  they  would  have 
been  hopelessly  broken,  but  for  the  opportune  arrival 
of  some  Polish  horse  ;  and  unfortunately  in  the  melee 
the  King  was  struck  by  a  falcon-shot  in  his  elbow. 
This  untoward  event,  at  the  very  commencement  of  a 
campaign,  sensibly  affected  Oxenstierna  and  the  chief 
officers  of  his  army,  who  thought  the  King  exposed 
himself  too  much.  When,  however,  the  surgeon  was 
puzzling  himself  to  extract  the  ball,  His  Majesty  be- 
sought him  to  "  let  the  ball  remain  in  his  body  as  an 
illustrious  monument  that  he  had  not  passed  his  youth 
in  idleness  and  inactivity."     Gustavus,  however,  was 


GUSTATUS    ADOLPHUS.  129 

obliged  to  give  up  his  command,  and  return  to  Stock- 
holm to  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  wound. 

Gustavus  regarded  the  non-acquisition  of  Dantzig  as  Gustavns' 

such  a  thorn  in  his  side,  that  he  was  eager  to  renew  the  "nsuccess" 

'  °  nil  attempt 

war  m  the  spring  of  1628,  and  re-embarked  his  army  against 

in  a  fleet  of  thirty-three  sail.     In  approaching  the  port  Dantzig. 

near  the  fort  of  Weissalmond  he  lighted  upon  seven  reinforce- 

Dantzig  ships,  some  of  which  he  captured,  dispersing  ments  from 

the  rest ;  and  he  then  landed  his  men,  and  ordered  one 

of  the  outworks  of  the  fortified  city  to  be  stormed ;  but 

his   troops    were   repulsed   with   loss,    several   officers 

being  taken  prisoners,  and  Count  Thurn,  the  general 

in  command,  wounded.     Stung  to  the   quick  by  this 

disgrace,  Gustavus  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  7000 

men,  and  by  activity,  dexterity,  and  stratagem,  made 

himself  master  of  a  small  island,  from  which  he  thought 

he  could  advance  the  siege.      It  is  related  that  in  this 

affair  he  first  made  use  of  leather  artillery,  for  which 

the  King  had  always  an  uncommon  fondness,  as  it  was 

partially  an  invention  of  his  own,  and  was  so  easy  of 

carriage.      Conospoliski  was  soon  in  the  field  against 

him ;  and  Gustavus  marched  with  24,000  infantry  and 

2000  horse,  of  which  9000  were  English  or  Scotch 

soldiers,  who  had  been  sent  to  him  by  Buckingham, 

who  was  now  Prime  Minister  to  Charles  I.  of  England. 

To  this  army  it  is  related  there  was  attached  a  corps 

of  3000  archers.       It  is  believed  that  these  soldiers 

were  some  irregular  barbarians,  who  had  come  under 

the  power  of  the  Swedes  ;  and  Prince  Eugene,  in  after 

times,  conceived  the  idea  of  employing  troops  of  this 

armament  to  be  so  judicious,  that  he  introduced  into  his 

army  some  Hungarians  and  Croatians,  who  were  armed 

with  some  species  of  bows  and  arrows.     The  English 

have  employed  them  in  the  wars  of  India ;  but  on  no 

occasion  that  I  know  of  have  they  aided  in  securing 

the  palm  of  victory.    Indeed,  it  is  much  doubted  whether 

irregulars  of  this  description  do  materially  increase  the 

strength  of  modern  armies,  since  they  are  difficult  to 

K 


130 


OtTSTAYl's     MM.l.l'IirS. 


Gustavus 

defends 

Stralsund 

against 

Walleii- 

stein. 


maintain  in  discipline,  and  are  more  likely  to  do  mis- 
i  hiil'  than  any  positive  good.  At  the  same  time,  there 
are  moments  in  war  when  an  unexpected  weapon  pro- 
duces considerable  effect.  The  Swedes  and  Poles  again 
came  to  a  pitched  battle,  which  cannot  be  said  to  have 
ended  in  a  victory,  although  the  latter  lost  3000  men, 
four  field-pieces,  and  fourteen  colours  ;  and  their  general 
was  grievously  wounded  in  the  encounter.  About  this 
time  likewise  Wallenstein  sent  an  Imperial  fleet  against 
the  King  to  assist  Dantzig,  consisting  of  eleven  vessels 
under  Admiral  Appehnan,  who,  though  killed  in  the 
encounter,  attacked  the  Swedish  fleet,  and  took  four 
ships,  driving  the  remainder  into  the  port  of  Pillau. 
The  Swedish  Admiral  Sternskield  blew  up  his  ship  and 
all  his  crew  to  prevent  capture.  The  King  was  sensibly 
affected  by  this  disgrace  ;  but  he  sent  for  another  fleet 
of  twelve  ships,  which  completely  shut  up  the  com- 
merce of  Dantzig. 

The  Emperor  of  Germany  about  this  time  sent 
Schwarzenberg  to  the  Hansetowns,  to  demand  from 
them  such  shipping  as  might  be  needful  to  contend 
against  Gustavus,  and  to  aid  the  attempt  now  making 
by  his  army  under  AVallenstein  to  obtain  possession  of 
Stralsund.  Gustavus  accordingly  now  took  up  the  cause 
of  the  Stralsunders,  and  sent  a  reinforcement  of  troops  to 
their  Danish  garrison,  who,  finding  the  defence  of  that 
place  beyond  their  strength,  cast  the  burden  of  it, 
with  all  its  danger  and  glory,  upon  their  then  Swedish 
friends  and  allies.  Wallenstein  had  sworn  "  that,  though 
Stralsund  hung  in  the  air  from  heaven  by  a  chain  of 
adamant,  he  would  take  it."  It  was  not  an  easy  task, 
however,  as  he  soon  experienced ;  for  no  place  is  better 
situated  for  defence  by  nature.  It  parts  the  sea  in  a  sort 
of  elliptical  figure,  having  the  two  extremities  joined  to 
the  mainland  by  a  narrow  isthmus.  Behind  it  lies  the 
lake  of  Franken,  to  which  there  is  only  access  by  a 
single  causeway.  And  the  Swedish  fleet  was  much 
more  able  to  furnish  a  garrison  with  supplies  from  the 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS.  131 

seaward,  than  the  Imperial  navy  was  to  prevent  it  from 

doing  so.     Gustavus  sent  in  Sir  Alexander  Leslie,  with 

a  chosen  hody  of  Scotch  and  English  troops,  to  defend 

the  town ;  and  the  Danish  Governor,  Hoik,  for  some 

time  acted  under  him.     This  episode  of  the  defence  of 

Stralsund  ultimately  brought  the  Swedes  into  the  great 

German  contest ;  for  Wallenstein,  after  a  siege  of  three 

months,  found  he  could  make  no  impression  upon  the 

gallant  Leslie  and  his  garrison,  and  saw  that  it  was 

next  to  impossible  to  get  possession  of  a  place  well 

defended,  and  which  could  at  all  times  receive  fresh 

supplies  from  the  sea. 

Gustavus  at  this  time  received  an  insult,  which  some  Conference 

attribute  to  the  Emperor  himself,  and  some  to  the  in-  ^  ^ubeek  : 

„  _^     ln  \  ,  uustavus 

rluence  01  Wallenstein,  who  dreaded  the  King  s  inter-  excluded 

ference  between  him  and  the  King  of  Denmark.  His  from  it- 
Swedish  Majesty,  with  studied  contempt,  was  excluded 
from  the  discussions  of  a  Congress,  or  Conference,  that 
assembled  at  Liibeck  in  1629,  at  which  plenipoten- 
tiaries attended  from  Ferdinand  and  Christian  ;  as  their 
deliberations  intimately  concerned  Gustavus,  both  as 
regarded  Stralsund  and  Mecklenburg,  he  despatched 
two  Swedish  deputies  to  attend  it ;  but  these  were  for- 
bidden to  enter  Germany,  or  to  approach  Liibeck, 
under  pain  of  death.  Astonished  at  this  unexpected 
rebuff,  they  referred  the  matter  to  King  Christian,  who 
informed  them  "  that  if  the  Northern  plenipotentiaries 
had  any  thing  to  propose  that  concerned  public  policy 
or  utility,  they  should  submit  their  proposals  to  the 
Austrian  ministry  at  Vienna."  Such  an  affront  struck 
deeply  into  the  royal  heart  of  Gustavus,  and  he  resolved 
to  resent  the  indignity  the  first  opportunity ;  nor  did 
he  hesitate  to  admit  that  it  was  one  of  the  motives 
that  afterwards  led  him  into  the  German  battle-field. 

Gustavus,  in  the  commencement  of  the  year  1629,  Narrow 

introduced  into  the  town  of  Stralsund  reinforcements,  ^scaPe  or 

wustavus 
and  a  good  supply  of  ammunition ;  and  Wallenstein,  at  Stral- 

who  had  now  got  the  Saxon  contingent   attached  to  suml- 

K  2 


132  (UISTAVrS    AUOLPUl  S. 

his  army,  determined  to  make  it  available  for  his  designs. 
He  accordingly  called  to  him  its  commander,  and  said 
to  him,  with  characteristic  insolence,  "  Arnheim,  take 
10,000  men,  and  drive  Gustavus  out  of  Poland  ;  and  in 
case  you  should  not  find  yourself  equal  to  the  task,  let 
him  know  that  Wallenstein  will  come  and  effect  it  him- 
self."    Arnheim  forthwith  carried  his  troops  to  Gran- 
denz  ;  and  came  up  in  twelve  days  to  the  banks  of  the 
Vistula,    over   which    Conospoliski   threw  a  bridge  of 
boats  near  Marienverder,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  junc- 
tion of  the  two  armies.     Gustavus,  either  to  impede 
this  junction,  or  through  eagerness  to  encounter  the 
confederates,  came  up  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Thorn, 
at  the  head  of  a  part  of  his  army.    There  was  a  difficult 
passage,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  wood,  of  which  both 
armies   endeavoured  to    get   possession,   and   a   sharp 
strife  for  it  ensued.     Otho  Lewis,  the  Rhinegrave,  who 
commanded  for  Gustavus,  behaved  so  rashly,  that  he 
lost  some  200  killed,  and  many  colours  and  prisoners 
were  taken  before  the  King  could  come  up  with  him. 
But  though  Gustavus  soon  saw  that  with  such  unequal 
forces    as   he  was  leading  against  hardened   and  ex- 
perienced troops  he  could  have  little  success,  yet  he 
would  not  allow  a  detachment  of  his  army  to  be  sacri- 
ficed without  the  endeavoiu-  to  bring  them  off  Avith 
credit.     After  various  skirmishes  and  manoeuvres  on 
the  loose  sand-hills  of  the  district,  Gustavus  contrived 
to  obtain  possession  of  a  hill  on  which  8000  or  10,000 
men,  that  he  had  with  him,  could  make  head  against 
the  larger  forces  opposed  to  him,  whom  he  felt  sure  could 
not  find  sufficient  room  to  act.      However,  the  Im- 
perialists, by  their  superior  fire,  were  successful,  and 
got  possession  of  the  top  of  the  hill.     Regiment  now 
engaged  regiment,  and  Gustavus  himself  entered  into 
the  personal   struggle,  when,   seeing   Baron    Sirot,   a 
Frenchman,  endeavouring  to  carry  off  the  colours  of 
his  own  body-guard,  the  King  fired  a  carbine  at  him, 
which  lodged  a  ball  in  his  right  arm  ;  but  he  returned 


CHJSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS.  133 

the  fire  at  the  King,  and  the  ball  passing  near  His 

Majesty's  head,  his  hat  fell  to  the  ground,  and  this 

being  picked  up  was  sent  as  a  trophy  to  the  Emperor 

Ferdinand,  who  despatched  the  impious  and  heretical 

head-gear  as  an  offering  to  the  shrine  of  our  Lady  at 

Loretto.      Although  Gustavus  was  long  ignorant  of 

this  destination  of  his  missing  beaver,  he  very  much 

disliked  the  loss  of  it.    The  King  the  same  day  received 

five  musket  balls  in  his  armour,  and  would  have  been 

taken  prisoner  but  for  one  Soop,  a  captain  of  horse, 

who  shot  the  Polish  horseman  who  had  already  a  pistol 

at  the  King's  ear,  because  he  refused  to  ask  quarter. 

Conospoliski  was  also  pierced  with  several  balls,  and 

was  actually  once  a  prisoner,  but  was  also  rescued.  The 

Ehinegrave's  brother  John,  as  also  Herman  Wrangel, 

were  both  killed  on  the  side  of  the  Swedes ;  but  on  the 

other  hand  the  regiment  of  Bindhauf,  esteemed  the  very 

finest  in  the  Imperial  service,  was  entirely  ruined  in  this 

battle ;  and  some  twenty  German  ensigns  remained  as 

trophies  in  the  hands  of  the  Swedes.     The  next  day 

Gustavus  received  a  reinforcement  of  3000  men,  who 

came  up  to  him  on  the  field ;  and  this  enabled  him  to 

retreat,  without  the  least  molestation  from  the  enemy. 

He  fell  back  to  his  old  camp  at  Marienverder ;  and 

the  Confederates  took  up  a  secure  and  advantageous 

position  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Soon  afterwards  Sigismund  arrived  in  the  confede-  Judiciously 

rate  camp,   and,  having  summoned  a  council  of  war,  felines  * 

i      j   1      j?  -n         n      i  -.n  battle  with 

resolved  to  follow  Grustavus,  and  force  his  intrench-  Sigismund. 

ments.  But  the  King  was  not  a  man  to  sleep  in  any 
position,  and  in  the  space  of  eight  days  made  his  camp 
so  difficult  to  be  approached,  that  His  Polish  Ma- 
jesty, although  he  made  the  attempt,  was  after  many 
unsuccessful  assaults  repulsed  with  considerable  loss. 
The  united  generals  spared  no  pains  to  tempt  the 
Swedish  King  to  try  the  fortune  of  battle ;  but  that 
sagacious  Prince  understood  his  profession  too  well,  and 
had  too  just  a  notion  of  the  disparity  of  his  forces,  to 


L3  t  til  ST.W  IS    A1KH  I'lll  8. 

uttcnij)t  doing  any  thing  of  the  kind  for  the  remainder 
of  the  campaign. 
A  treaty  Cardinal  Richelieu  had  long   desired  to  enlist  the 

of  peace  power  of  the  King  of  Sweden  on  the  side  of  the  Pro- 
testant  Union,  now  struggling  hard  against  the  House 
of  Austria  in  the  German  contest ;  and  Baron  de 
Charnace  was  despatched  to  him  as  French  Ambas- 
sador,  who  at  this  time  arrived  in  the  hostile  camp 
of  the  contending  Kings,  with  letters  to  each  of  them, 
to  endeavour  to  prevail  upon  them  to  send  their  re- 
spective deputies  to  a  conference  that  should  effect  a 
peace.  For  this  purpose  tents  were  erected  between 
the  camps,  at  ahout  500  paces  from  each  army.  In  a 
few  days  the  treaty  was  signed,  and  it  was  stipulated 
that  it  should  be  in  force  for  six  years.  The  first  con- 
sequence of  the  truce  was  the  return  of  Arnheim  and 
his  Saxons  into  Germany,  who  was  employed  by  the 
French  Ambassador  to  carry  back  to  the  Elector,  his 
master,  some  arguments  to  induce  that  Sovereign  also 
to  desert  the  side  of  the  Emperor,  and  to  join  the 
Protestant  Union.  De  Charnace  again  attended  the 
Swedish  King  when  he  returned  back  to  Stockholm  in 
1630,  and  with  much  tact  and  caution  suggested  a 
scheme  that  should  induce  Gustavus  to  enter  Germany 
at  the  head  of  his  army.  But  this  was  done  in  such 
high  terms,  and  with  such  an  air  of  indifference,  that 
the  King  treated  the  conditions  on  which  it  was  asked 
with  much  disdain.  He  did  not  choose  to  enlist  him- 
self as  a  mercenary  general  in  the  German  war,  upon 
a  stipend  to  be  paid  him  by  France ;  nor  was  it  pleas- 
ing  to  him  to  be  bound  for  a  limited  number  of  years  by 
an  engagement  that  might  preclude  him  from  treating 
with  the  Emperor,  should  conditions  be  offered  to  him. 
satisfactory  to  his  personal  honour,  and  the  interests 
of  tho  Protestant  cause.  For  these  reasons  these  nego- 
tiations did  not  at  that  time  proceed ;  and  De  Charnace 
set  off  once  more  on  his  return  home.  But  on  his 
arrival  at  Copenhagen  lie  received  orders  from  Richelieu 


GUSTAYUS    ADOLPHUS.  135 

to  return  to  Stockholm,  with  fresh  instructions ;  and 

the  King,  in  consequence  of  these  amended  offers,  sent 

his  secretary  to  Paris,  to  insinuate  that  Gustavus  had 

no    disinclination  to  an  engagement,  if  the  proposals 

were  reasonable,  and  not  inconsistent  with  his  welfare 

and  dignity '. 

The    matter    being    thus    dismissed   for   a   season,  Gustavus 

Gustavus  referred  the  whole  matter  of  peace  or  war  to  se    ,  Pro" 

1  ,  posals  to 

the  States  of  his  kingdom  then  assembled  in  Senate,  Wallen- 
who  made  it  an  earnest  request  to  His  Majesty,  not  to  ^.^n  and 
consent  to  any  peace  "  except  he  had  his  helmet  on  ;" 
and  on  no  account  to  relinquish  present  or  future  acqui- 
sitions for  Sweden,  but  to  maintain  the  sovereignty  of 
the  Baltic  and  the  possession  of  Stralsund  at  any  rate, 
together  with  the  time  preservation  of  the  rights  and 
dignity  of  the  Protestant  religion.  In  consequence  of 
this,  Gustavus  despatched  one  Nicholas  Bielke  to  Stral- 
sund, with  letters  from  the  King  to  the  Imperial 
Generals — Wallenstein  and  Tilly.  The  former  had  not 
the  politeness  to  return  His  Majesty  an  answer ;  but 
the  latter  replied  with  great  respect  in  vindication  both 
of  himself  and  of  his  party :  Gustavus,  however,  was 
contented  to  hold  his  ground  against  both  Imperial 
Generals  by  maintaining  himself  master  of  Stralsund ; 
which  was  a  port  he  could  hold  with  his  fleet,  and 
which  might  be  a  convenient  base  from  whence  to 
advance  or  to  retreat,  should  he  eventually  agree  to 
disembark  with  an  army  in  Germany. 

After  the  unsuccessful  attempt  that  the  King  of  Gustavus 
Denmark  had  made  to  oppose  the  Emperor  and  the  regarded  as 
Catholic  League,  by  leading  the  forces  of  the  Protestant  champion 
Union,  Gustavus  Adolphus  was  the  only  Prince  in  Europe  of  tne  ^T0' 

cause. 
1  Of  the  extreme  flippancy  of  this  Baron  de  Charnace  it  is  re- 
corded, that  when  discussing  with  the  Stadtholder  of  Holland  some 
enterprise  in  which  the  Dutch  were  excused  for  having  failed, 
owing  to  the  wind  and  tide,  he  replied,  "  Your  Highness  will 
be  pleased  to  remember  that  there  is  no  such  wind  or  tide  in 
France." 


136  GUSTAVUS    ADOLP1IU3. 

from  whom  the  oppressed  Germans  could  look  for  protec- 
tion, and  liberty  of  conscience  and  of  action.  The  cause 
of  freedom,  in  its  widest  acceptation,  had  languished  and 
waned  ever  since  Christian's  failure  before  the  triumphs 
of  the  Emperor  Ferdinand  and  the  lloman  Church.  The 
only  man  who  could  aid  the  suffering  cause  was  the 
King  of  Sweden,  for  he  alone  was  personally  qualified 
to  conduct  the  enterprise,  and  had  political  motives  to 
recommend,  and  personal  wrongs  to  justify  it.  He 
had,  before  the  war  in  Lower  Saxony  commenced, 
offered  his  services  and  his  army  for  the  defence  of 
Protestantism  ;  but  the  King  of  Denmark,  to  the  great 
detriment  of  the  cause,  had  been  preferred  before  him  ; 
and  that  Prince's  offer  to  lead  their  armies  had  been 
accepted  in  his  despite;  so  that  as  a  man  he  could  not 
have  been  insensible  of  such  a  slight,  but  he  did  not 
resent  it.  Since  that  time,  however,  both  the  Em- 
peror and  Wallenstein  had  sanctioned  hostile  measures 
against  himself,  which  were  equally  offensive  to  him  as 
a  General  and  as  a  King.  The  Imperial  troops  had 
been  despatched  to  the  assistance  of  the  Polish  King, 
Sigismund,  against  his  nation  ;  and  when  Gustavus  had 
remonstrated  with  the  Imperial  General  respecting  the 
acts  of  hostility  against  his  naval  and  military  forces, 
he  was  answered,  "  The  Emperor  has  more  soldiers 
than  he  wants  for  himself;  he  must  help  his  friends." 
The  Swedish  Ambassadors  had  been  insolently  com- 
manded by  Wallenstein  to  withdraw  from  the  late 
conference  at  Liibeck  upon  strictly  Scandinavian 
affairs.  And  soon  after,  when,  unawed  by  this  com- 
mand, they  were  courageous  enough  to  remain  to 
represent  their  royal  master's  interests  and  the  con- 
cerns of  Sweden,  the  General,  contrary  to  every  law  of 
nations,  had  threatened  them  with  personal  violence. 
Ferdinand  had  also  insulted  the  Swedish  flag,  had  in- 
tercepted the  King's  despatches  in  Transylvania,  and 
had  thrown  even'  obstacle  in  his  power  in  the  wajr  of  a 
peace  between  Poland  and  Sweden.    Nay,  the  Emperor 


GUSTAVTJS    ADOLPHUS.  ]  37 

had  gone  so  far  as  to  deny  the  right  of  Gustavus  to 
the  throne  of  Sweden,  and  had  supported  the  pretensions 
of  Sigismund  against  him.  So  many  personal  motives, 
supported  hy  important  considerations  both  of  State 
policy  and  sectarian  feeling,  had  their  full  weight  with 
a  Prince  like  Gustavus,  who  was  ambitious  of  being 
deemed  the  protector  of  the  oppressed,  and  the  defender 
of  the  faith,  and  one  who  passionately  loved  war  as  his 
peculiar  element.  Pressing  invitations  from  all  sides 
were  now  added  to  his  own  personal  motives  for  em- 
barking in  the  German  war 2. 

England,  Holland,  and  France,  alike  interested  them-  Is  encou- 
selves  in  the  matter,  and  without  even  consulting  to-  Tv^\    •[ 
gether  expressed  their  convictions  that  His   Swedish  Holland, 
Majesty  alone  could  perform  the  task  of  raising  the  *ini*  F£au£ e 
Protestants  of  Germany  from  their  present  abasement.  in  the  Ger- 
It  is  affirmed  that  the  understanding  with  France  was  man  war- 
at  the  first  verbal  only,  and  not  reduced  to  the  form  of 
a  treaty,  but  that  it  stipulated  that  for  six  years  the 
King  would  contribute   annually  for   the   purpose   of 
maintaining  war  in  the  German  Empire  a  sum  variously 
stated  at  from  £66,000  to  £82,000.    The  published  cor- 
respondence of  Sir  Thomas  Roe  and  Sir  Dudley  Carlton 
speaks  hopefully  of  aid  of  some  kind  being  Hkewise 
promised  by  England  and  Holland.      Gustavus   sent 
Sadler  and  the  Chevalier  Rache  to  the  Helvetic  Leagues, 
and  to  the  body  of  the  German  League  in  general,  to 
learn  what  assistance  he  might  expect  from  them.     But 
such  a  dread  of  the  House  of  Austria  possessed  these 
last-named  parties,  that  he  received  little  encourage- 
ment from  them. 

The  English  and  Scotch  people  had  every  desire  to  Sir  T.  Roe's 

promote  the  undertakinar  of  Gustavus  ;  but  their  views         drplo- 
r  °  '  maey. 

were  not  at  all  responded  to  by  Charles  I.     He  had  Charles  I. 

inherited   from  his  father  a  desire  to  maintain  peace  t^nds  . 
at  all  hazards,  excepting  when  actuated  by  a  dynastic  0f  Hamil- 
ton to  aid 
2  Schiller.  Gustavus. 


138  GH  STATUS    Al)OI.l>lHs. 

ambition  tu  help  the  Elector  Palatine  out  of  his  family 

troubles.  At  one  and  the  same  moment  Sir  Robert 
Anstruther  was  despatched  to  Ratisbon  to  negotiate 
the  restitution  of  the  Palatinate  from  the  Diet;  and 
Sir  Henry  Vane  was  deputed  Ambassador  to  the 
King  of  Sweden.  But  Sir  Thomas  Hoe,  Avho  had  pre- 
ceded Sir  Henry  at  Stockhohn,  was  a  man  of  much 
higher  parts  and  spirit,  and  who,  greatly  rejoicing 
at  the  Swedish  expedition  into  Germany,  had  upon 
all  occasions  pressed  upon  his  Court  that  Gustavus 
was  an  intrepid  and  judicious  commander,  who  sus- 
tained in  his  own  person  all  the  offices  of  soldier  and 
statesman.  He  had  represented  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  supplying  the  King  with  such  pecuniary  assist- 
ance as  mio-ht  determine  him  to  undertake  the  in- 
vasion.  And  indeed  Sir  Thomas  Roe's  arguments 
for  the  cause  were  mainly  instrumental  in  bringing 
Gustavus  into  Germany ;  for  at  length  His  Britannic 
Majesty  gave  the  Marquis  of  Hamilton  private  in- 
structions to  levy  a  body  of  troops,  and  to  conduct 
them  into  Germany,  as  an  instalment  of  the  assistance 
he  would  render ;  so  that  Gustavus  took  the  proposal 
in  good  part,  and  immediately  wrote  back  his  own 
limitations  and  conditions  of  acceptance,  which  were, 
— that  he  reserved  to  himself  the  supreme  power  of 
command,  but  that  the  English  army  should  act  toge- 
ther under  the  Marquis  of  Hamilton.  The  King  of 
England  had  indeed  promised  to  provide  the  Marquis 
with  warlike  stores ;  but  Hamilton  himself  had  gene- 
rously proposed  to  raise  6000  men  at  his  own  expense ; 
and  now,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  King,  accepted 
all  the  conditions  proposed,  and  engaged  to  land  his 
troops  to  join  the  army  of  Sweden  by  June,  1G31. 
Great  diligence  was  therefore  employed  to  raise  an 
army.  Donald  Lord  Reay  (whose  family  name  was 
Mackay),  and  David  Ramsay,  both  of  whom  were 
already  serving  in  the  Swedish  army,  were  sent  over 
by  Gustavus  to  facilitate    and  encourage  the   raising 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  139 

of  recruits ;  and  their  drums  soon  drew  together  a 
considerable  body  of  troops,  and  many  experienced 
officers  were  obtained,  who  had  served  in  the  wars 
of  the  Protestants  both  in  Holland  and  the  Low 
Countries.  The  cause  itself  was  altogether  more 
agreeable  to  the  people  of  England  and  Scotland,  than 
to  the  King,  who  continued  cold  in  the  cause,  and 
could  never  be  brought  into  an  explicit  treaty,  but 
only  to  vague  promises. 

On  the  16th  of  July ,  the  Marquis  of  Hamilton,  after 
reviewing  his  troops  at  Yarmouth,  embarked  them  from 
thence  for  the  Baltic,  in  a  fleet  of  forty  ships.  He 
had  been  appointed  to  land  at  Bremen,  where  Gus- 
tavus  sent  Leslie,  Governor  of  Stralsund,  afterwards 
Earl  of  Leven,  to  meet  him  with  supplies  of  bread  and 
beer,  and  to  negotiate  with  the  Archbishop  concerning 
the  means  of  supplying  the  English  army  with  pro- 
visions. Hamilton  was  piqued,  however,  at  not  find- 
ing the  4000  Swedes  who  had  been  promised  by  the 
King  as  an  escort  to  direct  him  to  the  King's  army, 
and  thought  proper,  on  his  own  impulse,  not  to  land 
his  troops,  but  to  proceed  onwards  by  water;  which 
he  did  as  far  as  the  Isle  of  Usedom.  Leslie  was  not  a  Eeception 
little  astonished  to  see  the  King's  plan  disregarded,  J^J^^ 
and  hastened  back  by  land  to  report  this  to  His  rnilton  by 
Majesty,  and  ask  for  further  orders.  Gustavus,  it  is  Gustavus. 
said,  disliked  the  Marquis  from  this  time  forward  for 
his  want  of  obedience,  and  confidence  in  him :  but 
changing  on  the  instant  the  plans  that  he  had  formed 
for  the  English  contingent,  he  now  ordered  tbem  to 
serve  on  the  banks  of  the  Oder,  instead  of  the  Weser ; 
and  the  Marquis  landed  6000  English  and  Scotch,  all 
in  good  health  and  spirits,  upon  the  shore  of  the  Baltic, 
and  was  ordered  to  report  to  Baner.  This  force  was 
divided  into  four  regiments  of  ten  companies  each, 
with  150  men  in  a  company.  Hamilton  himself  took 
the  field  with  the  air  of  a  prince  ;  his  table,  his 
equipage,  and  his  liveries,  were  magnificent.     He  had 


140 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPnre. 


forty  gentlemen's  sons  by  way  of  pages  and  volun- 
teers. The  King  received  him  in  his  camp  at  Wer- 
ben  in  a  manner  the  most  affectionate  and  polite  that 
can  he  conceived,  making  him  a  thousand  apologies 
for  the  scantiness  and  bareness  of  the  quarters  allotted 
to  his  troops.  In  a  long  conference  in  private  he 
explained  all  the  dispositions  of  his  intended  ad- 
vance. The  Marquis  hastened  to  take  the  command 
of  his  countrymen,  but  never  could  obtain  the  favour 
of  being  declared  general  of  the  little  army — for  he 
was  obliged  to  serve  under  a  Swedish  general  when- 
ever a  junction  was  effected  between  him  and  any 
Swedish  divisions.  It  must  be  confessed  that  this 
body  of  Britons  proved  but  of  little  service  in  the 
sequel  of  the  war.  They  suffered  greatly  from  eating 
the  German  bread,  and  by  indulging  an  immoderate 
appetite  for  new  honey,  of  which  they  found  great 
abundance  in  their  quarters;  and  the  German  beer 
Hamilton's  did  not  agree  with  their  constitutions.  By  these 
natecon-"  means  tne  diminutive  army  was  reduced  to  little  more 
duct.  than  two  regiments  in  a  very  short  time.     The  Kino- 

ordered  the  deficiency  to  be  supplied  with  German 
recruits,  for  the  expense  of  which  he  promised  to 
become  responsible.  But  the  bold  Britons  revolted  at 
being  mixed  with  other  troops,  and  soon  became  very 
unmanageable :  indeed,  when  they  had  obtained  good 
quarters,  and  happened  not  to  have  a  mind  to  leave  them, 
they  continued  in  them,  in  defiance  of  His  Majesty's 
orders.  The  Swedish  commanders  accordingly  received 
orders,  in  case  of  their  being  refractory,  to  enforce 
obedience.  At  length  the  Marquis  and  General  Baner, 
the  Swedish  second  in  command,  came  to  an  open  rup- 
ture, and,  in  the  teeth  of  Hamilton's  resentment,  the 
Swede,  who  was  as  well  born  as  Hamilton,  and  would 
not  bate  the  Marquis  one  jot  in  the  article  of  pride, 
produced  the  King's  letter  from  his  pocket  to  assert 
his  authority.  Though  Hamilton  possessed  all  the 
gallantry,  magnificence,  and  personal  array  that  ought 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHTJS.  141 

to  adorn  the  man  of  quality,  yet  he  was  but  in  the 
twenty-fourth  or  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and 
Baner  had  already  earned  the  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  ablest  generals  then  in  Europe.  The  British 
nobleman  carried  his  remonstrances  to  the  King,  who 
told  him  that  submission  to  superior  authority  was 
highly  expedient  to  the  public  service,  and  he  wrote 
to  King  Charles  to  require  that  the  duty  of  subordi- 
nation should  be  recommended  to  the  British  General, 
and  that  the  pay  of  the  troops  might  be  transmitted  to 
Gustavus  himself,  and  not  any  longer  to  the  Marquis 
of  Hamilton.  Thus  matters  stood  when  Henry  Vane 
arrived  in  his  ambassadorial  capacity.  With  his  well- 
known  arrogance  he  proposed  that  Hamilton  should 
have  a  separate  command  and  a  separate  army,  which 
should  be  uniformly  levied  and  supported  with  English 
money  for  the  recovery  of  the  Palatinate.  Gustavus 
received  this  proposition  in  a  higher  tone  than  was  his 
custom :  he  declined  giving  the  Marquis  a  commission 
to  levy  a  new  army ;  and  his  Chancellor,  Oxenstierna, 
told  the  British  General  rather  roughly,  that  he  had 
received  money  for  the  troops  from  Charles  his  master, 
and  that  he  must  not  therefore  pretend  that  he  main- 
tained them  from  his  private  fortune.  In  the  mean 
time  the  forces  dwindled  so  much  as  only  to  consist  of 
one  English  regiment  commanded  by  Bellasis,  and  one 
Scottish  regiment  by  Hamilton ;  and  the  Marquis  of 
Hamilton  found  himself  neither  a  general  nor  a  colonel, 
and  was  in  the  end  contented  to  follow  Gustavus  as  a 
simple  volunteer.  King  Charles,  however,  addressed  a  Letter 
letter  of  expostulation  to  the  Chancellor,  which  was  not  ^om 
very  intelligible  excepting  in  its  postscript,  in  which  he  to  Gusta-' 
says,  "  I  hope  shortly  you  will  be  in  a  possibility  to  yua- 
perform  your  promise  concerning  pictures  and  statues, 
therefore  now  in  earnest  do  not  forget  it3." 

The  great  prospect  which  now  opens  in  the  career  of  Gustavus 

invades 
3  Harte. 


142  GUSTAVUS    AJX3LPHUS. 

Germany.     Gustavus  Adolphus  is  the  important  episode  of  his  in- 
His  pros-     vasion  0f  Germany.     The  King  resolved  to  cross  the 

pects,  and  J  ° 

resolute  Baltic  and  attack  the  Emperor.  So  dangerous  a  con- 
spirit.  flict  Would  have  dismayed  any  other  than  Gustavus 
Adolphus.  He  saw  all  the  obstacles  and  dangers  that 
opposed  his  undertaking,  hut  he  also  justly  calculated 
the  means  by  which  he  hoped  to  succeed  in  it.  "  I 
know,"  he  said,  "  the  perils,  the  fatigues,  the  difficulties 
of  the  undertaking:  yet,  neither  the  wealth  of  the 
House  of  Austria  dismays  me,  nor  her  veteran  forces : 
I  hold  my  retreat  secure  under  the  worst  alternative. 
And  if  it  is  the  will  of  the  Supreme  Being  that  Gus- 
tavus should  die  in  the  defence  of  the  faith,  he  pays  the 
tribute  with  thankful  acquiescence ;  for  it  is  a  King's 
duty  and  his  religion  to  obey  the  great  Sovereign  of 
Kings  without  a  murmur."  His  army,  though  not 
numerous,  was  peculiarly  well  organized  and  disciplined, 
inured  to  hardships  in  many  campaigns  under  a  most 
inhospitable  climate,  and  trained  to  victory.  Sweden, 
though  poor  in  men  and  money,  was  devoted  to  her  mo- 
narch with  an  enthusiasm  rarely  shown  by  any  people. 
The  fame  of  her  Sovereign  exalted  the  sense  of  their  im- 
portance in  the  mind  of  the  nation  ;  so  that  the  peasant 
as  readily  contributed  his  pittance  as  the  soldier  did  his 
blood  to  his  country's  aggrandizement.  The  single 
character  of  their  King  had  imparted  to  Sweden  a  lofty 
energy,  which  long  survived  its  originator.  The  necessity 
of  the  war  was  acknowledged  by  all ;  but  the  best  mode 
of  employing  the  strength  of  the  State  was  a  matter  of 
much  question.  Even  to  the  daring  Chancellor  Oxen- 
stierna  an  offensive  war  in  a  foreign  country  appeared 
too  rash  a  proceeding :  the  resources  in  the  power  of 
his  master  appeared  to  him  too  slender  to  compete 
with  a  mighty  potentate,  who  held  all  Germany  at  his 
command.  But  the  timid  scruples  of  the  minister 
were  overruled  by  the  hero's  commanding  prudence. 
"  If  we  await  our  enemy  in  Sweden,  all  might  be  lost 
by  a  defeat.     By  a  fortunate  commencement  of  a  war 


OV STATUS    ADOLPHTJS.  143 

in  Germany  every  thing  is  to  be  gained.     To  begin 

depends  on  the  retention  of  Stralsund ;  so  long  as  that 

port  remains  in  our  hands,  we  shall  both  command  the 

Baltic,  and  secure    a    continual   communication    with 

Sweden,   and  a   certain   retreat    at   any  time   out    of 

Germany.     But  to  protect  this  port  we  must  advance 

at    once    into    Pomerania.     We   must   carry  the  war 

abroad.     Sweden   must   not    be   doomed   to  behold  a 

hostile  banner  upon  her  soil.     It  will  be  time  enough 

to  follow  your  plan  when  we  are  vanquished." 

It  was  well  known  that  the  name  of  the  Emperor  State  of 

Ferdinand  was  as  much  hated  as  feared  in  Germanv,  a,Sai^s  °!1. 

.  J  '  the  Conti- 

and   that   the    Protestant    Princes    only    awaited  the  nent  at 

arrival  of  a  deliverer  to  throw  off  his  intolerable  yoke.  this  time- 
Even  the  Eoman  Catholic  States  dreaded  the  conse- 
quences of  his  overwhelming  power.  The  strength  of 
Austria  had  at  this  moment  been  lessened  by  ill-timed 
detachments  to  Italy  and  the  Netherlands  ;  Spain  was 
crippled  by  her  late  reverses  and  losses,  and  was  still 
engaged  in  a  serious  war  in  the  Netherlands ;  so  that 
she  could  afford  the  Empire  no  support.  Gustavus 
assured  himself  in  a  personal  interview  with  King 
Christian  that  he  might  rely  upon  the  friendship  of 
Denmark.  Poland  was  to  be  held  in  check  from  the 
side  of  Germany,  and  the  Swedish  frontier  on  the  side 
of  Muscovy  was  sufficiently  well  guarded.  The  King 
had  the  promise  of  ample  contributions  of  money  from 
France,  and  the  hope  of  some  subsidies  from  England 
still  remained  to  him.  Hamburg  and  Liibeck  engaged 
to  advance  him  supplies  in  exchange  for  Swedish 
ores.  The  flourishing  Hansetowns  had  hitherto  escaped 
the  impoverishment  of  the  rest  of  Germany,  and  were 
prepared  to  stand  by  the  Protestant  cause  to  avert 
their  ruin. 

Having  well  considered  the  external  defence  of  the  Gustavus 

kingdom,  Gustavus  provided  for  its  internal  adminis-  J?reP,ar(^ 

r.        ,      .  .       ,  iortheGer- 

tration  during  his  absence  at  the  war  with  equal  care,  man  cam- 

He  set  his  house  in  order  like  a  man  about  to  quit.  Pai&n  \}ns 

1         farewell  ad- 
dress. 


1  M  GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS. 

When  all  his  measures  were  arranged,  and  all  was 
ready  for  his  departure,  the  King  appeared  in  the  Diet 
at  Stockholm  on  the  20th  of  May,  accompanied  by  his 
Queen,  and  his  child,  then  only  four  years  of  age. 
Taking  his  daughter  in  his  arms,  he  presented  her  to 
the  States  as  their  future  Sovereign,  and  exacted  from 
them  a  renewal  of  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  her,  in  case 
he  should  never  more  return  to  his  kingdom.  He  then 
read  to  them  the  ordinances  he  had  prepared  for  the 
government  of  the  kingdom  during  his  absence,  or 
during  the  minority  of  his  daughter.  Having  done  all 
the  actual  business  of  his  interview  with  the  States,  it 
was  some  time  before  he  could  attain  sufficient  com- 
posure to  deliver  to  them  his  farewell  address,  to  this 
effect : — 

"  Not  lightly  or  wantonly  am  I  about  to  involve 
myself  and  you  in  this  new  and  dangerous  war :  God  is 
my  witness  that  I  do  not  fight  to  gratify  my  own  am- 
bition. But  the  Emperor  has  wronged  me  most  shame- 
fully in  the  person  of  my  ambassador  ;  he  has  supported 
my  enemies,  persecuted  my  friends  and  brethren, 
trampled  my  religion  in  the  dust,  and  even  stretched 
his  revengeful  arm  against  my  crown.  The  oppressed 
States  of  Germany  call  loudly  for  my  aid,  which  by 
God's  help  we  will  give  them.  I  am  fully  sensible  of 
the  dangers  to  which  my  life  will  be  exposed.  I  have 
never  yet  shrunk  from  them,  nor  is  it  likely  that  I 
shall  escape  them  all.  Hitherto  Providence  has  won- 
derfully protected  me.  But  if  He  will  that  I  shall  at 
last  fall  in  the  defence  of  my  country,  I  commend  you 
to  the  protection  of  Heaven.    Be  just,  be  conscientious, 

act  uprightly,  and  we   shall  meet   again  in  eternity. 
###### 

For  the  prosperity  of  all  my  subjects,  absent  and 
present,  I  offer  my  warmest  prayers  to  Heaven.  I  bid 
you  all  a  sincere — it  may  be  an  eternal — farewell  \" 

*  Schiller. 


GUSTATTJS    ADOLPHTJS.  145 

There  was  yet  the  most  trying  pang  of  all — the  Takes  leave 
parting  from,  his  beloved  wife  and  Queen,  Eleonora.  q     ®    v- 
He  was  so  much  affected,  that  at  the  end  of  his  oration  sits  his 
his  utterance  failed  him,  and  he  could  only  snatch  a  "eet* 
hasty  embrace,  and  ejaculate,  "  God  bless  you."    Then, 
mounting  his  horse,  he  galloped  to  Elfsknaben,  where 
his  fleet  lay  at  anchor.     This  consisted  of  130  ships  of 
different  sizes,  which  were    divided   into    five   several 
squadrons,  conducted  by  as  many  land  or  sea  superior 
officers.    Admiral  Gildenheim  commanded  on  the  right ; 
General  Baner  on  the  left,  and  the  King's  flag  royal, 
as  Admiral  supreme,  flew  in  the  centre.     Among  the 
superior  officers  who   commanded   under   them,    were 
Gustavus  Horn,  the  Rhinegrave  Otto    Lewis,   Count 
Thurn,     Baner,     Torstenson,    Ottenberg,     Bauditzen, 
Teufel,  Tod,  Falkenberg,  Kniphausen,  &c. 

Detained  by  contrary  winds,  it  was  June  before  the  Sails  for 

fleet  put  to  sea,  and  it  was  five  weeks  before  thev    «er T1S1 , 

r  .  .  •7oi  Usedoiu. 

reached  Pennemund  harbour,  in  the  island  of  Usedom. 
Either  the  King's  foresight,  or  Leslie's  zeal,  so  brought 
the  thing  about,  that  as  he  neared  the  shore  he  saw 
the  whole  country  in  a  flame,  and  his  Scotch  friend,  the 
Governor  of  Stralsund,  with  infantry  and  cavalry  wel- 
comed His  Majesty.  As  Gustavus  Adolphus  sprang 
to  shore  on  the  24th  of  June,  1630,  the  first  of  the 
expedition,  the  boats,  each  containing  200  men,  followed 
close  upon  him,  and  the  King,  taking  a  pickaxe  in 
his  hands,  immediately  set  to  work  with  them  to  open 
a  trench  himself,  as  an  earnest  of  his  resolution  to  work 
in  his  own  person,  and  before  break  of  day  he  intrenched 
eleven  regiments  near  the  village  of  Pennemund.  The 
day  was  noted  as  a  propitious  one,  for  it  was  the 
anniversary  of  that  on  which,  just  a  century  before, 
the  "Confession  of  Augsburg"  had  been  presented  to 
Charles  V.  After  having  given  all  his  orders  to  his 
Generals,  the  King  retired  a  few  paces  from  them,  and, 
falling  down  upon  his  knees,  offered  up  a  prayer  to  the 
Almighty.     Some  of  his  officers  appeared  to  sneer  at 


140  GUSTATTTS    ADOLPHTJS. 

this  act  of  opon  and  becoming  piety,  when  he  tamed 
and  said  to  them,  "  A  good  Christian  will  never  make  a 
had  soldier.      The   man  that  has  finished  his  pray  is 
has  at  least  completed  one-half  of  his  daily  work6." 
Prepares  to       The  total  amount  of  men  that  comprised  the  Swedish 
operate        army  which    landed  in  the   Isle   of  Usedom  did  not 
rjfjjjlf  exceed  13,800;  hut  the  troops  that  were  already   in 

Germany,  as  constituting  the  garrison  of  Stralsund, 
were  G000  or  7000  more.  These  last  were  for  the 
most  part  English  and  Scotch  adventurers  under  Leslie, 
who  held  Usedom  and  Stralsund  together  with  the  island 
of  Rugen  ;  and  Gustavus  now  selected  this  large  and 
fruitful  district  for  his  magazines  and  hase  of  operations. 
The  two  islands  lay  contiguous,  and  it  was  thought 
that  the  position  could  not  have  heen  made  secure  as  an 
asylum  in  case  of  a  reverse  without  the  entire  posses- 
sion of  hoth  with  Stralsund.  Conceiving  it  now  right 
and  convenient  to  rest  his  troops  after  their  tedious 
voyage,  he  allowed  them  two  days  to  refresh  them- 
selves, during  which  he  landed  from  the  ships  his 
horses  and  artillery,  together  with  his  supplies,  pro- 
visions, and  military  utensils,  with  powder  and  shot ; 
and  he  then  ordered  his  fleet  to  return  to  Sweden,  to 
he  at  the  orders  of  Oxenstiema,  who  remained  there  in 
command  of  10,000  men,  and  a  considerable  hody  of 
militia,  ready  as  a  reserve  to  resist  any  invasion  that 
might  he  made  from  the  side  of  his  enemies,  or  from 
time  to  time  to  reinforce  his  army  in  Germany,  which 
he  now  led  holdly  forward  against  Tilly,  the  Imperial 
General ;  having  previously  issued  a  proclamation  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  invaded  districts,  assuring  them 
that  they  might  rely  upon  his  most  perfect  pro- 
tection. 
<  'apture  of  There  were  few  Imperialist  troops  to  be  met  with  on 
Wolgast. 

s  It  is  said  that  in  a  country-seat  in  Sweden  that  belonged 
formerly  to  the  family  of  De  la  Gardie  may  be  still  seen  a  picture 
in  which  this  story  is  set  forth,  with  the  heads  of  all  the  generals 
standing  round  the  King,  all  supposed  to  he  painted  from  life. 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  147 

the  Baltic  shores,  and  these  retired  before  the  King, 
showing  no  inclination  whatever  to  encounter  him. 
The  Duke  of  Friedland,  who  as  Duke  of  Mecklenburg 
might  have  been  supposed  most  interested  on  his  own 
account  at  the  danger  of  having  so  redoubtable  an 
adversary  as  the  King  of  Sweden,  was  at  this  time  at  a 
considerable  distance,  looking  after  the  important  affairs 
of  his  own  interests  in  Bohemia ;  and  Tilly  was  in  no 
disposition  to  enter  the  military  walk  appertaining  to 
his  rival,  whom  he  feared  on  account  of  his  ambition, 
and  disliked  from  his  insolent  and  overbearing  temper, 
and  was  therefore  contented  to  remain  at  the  moment 
occupied  in  Franconia,  and  about  the  borders  of  Lower 
Saxony,  as  distant  as  possible  from  the  frontiers  of 
Wallenstein's  Duchy.  It  is  proper  to  give  the  credit 
due  to  the  sagacity  and  courage  of  Gustavus  in  select- 
ing the  place  of  his  landing  in  Germany,  where  the  coast 
was  clear,  excepting  the  territory  of  the  weak  Duke  of 
Pomerania,  who  was  a  Sovereign,  but  a  mere  shadow 
of  power ;  and  that  of  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  a 
not  very  powerful  Prince,  who  had  but  a  few  soldiers, 
undisciplined  and  ill-paid.  These  petty  Sovereigns  were, 
however,  held  under  surveillance  by  their  Suzerain,  with 
about  16,000  insolent  and  unmerciful  Imperialists,  who 
made  the  chain  almost  intolerable  under  the  command 
of  Torquato  di  Conti,  who,  on  account  of  his  seve- 
rities and  exactions,  was  generally  called  "  the  Devil." 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  therefore,  taking  advantage  of 
Wallenstein's  and  Tilly's  absence,  set  his  army  in 
motion  and  crossed  the  little  estuary  of  the  Pene,  that 
divides  Usedom  from  the  continent,  marching  direct 
to  the  town  of  Wolgast,  where  some  200  Croatians 
first  came  across  his  path  ;  these  were  charged  and  cut 
to  pieces ;  and  the  King  made  himself  master,  sword 
in  hand,  of  a  small  fort  at  the  water's  edge,  the  com- 
mand of  which  he  confided  to  Baner,  and  pushed  forward 
until  he  encountered  three  German  regiments  under 
Torquato  himself.     These  however  fell  back  before  the 

l  2 


148  OTTSTA.YTJS    AJOOLPHTJS. 

Swedes  to  their  camps  at  Gartz  and  Stolpe,  and  left 
Wolgast    to   the   King.     Here  lie  received  overtures 
from  Bogislaus  XIV.,  Duke  of  Pomerania,  to  which 
Gustavus  replied  hy  the  messengers,  "that  the  King 
would  cany  his  answer  in  person  to  the  Duke  their 
master."     A  detachment  of  Swedish  troops  were  now 
re-emharked  to  repair  by  water  to  Stettin,  the  ancient 
capital  and  ducal  residence  of  Pomerania,  before  which 
place  they  arrived  and  disembarked  without  opposition 
and  in  excellent  order.     Torquato  di  Conti,  when  he 
saw  the  King's  drift,  attempted  to  throw  a  body  of 
troops  into  the  place  before  he  reached  it,  but  his  alert 
and  energetic  enemy  was  there  before  him.     The  town 
was  immediately  invested,  when  Colonel  Damitz,  the 
Governor,  despatched  a  trumpeter  conveying  his  desire 
to  the  Swedish  army  not  to  approach  within  gun-shot. 
The  King  having  ascertained  that  the  Duke  himself 
was  in  Stettin,  replied,  "  Tell  Damitz,  it  is  not  my 
custom  to  treat  with  men  of  his  stamp  by  the  inter- 
vention of  an  interpreter."   The  Governor,  puzzled  with 
the  inuendo  couched  in  this  answer,  himself  repaired  to 
Gustavus,  who  cordially  shook  him  by  the  hand,  and, 
pointing  to  his  troops,  told  him,  "  Behold,  sir,  there  is 
the  key  of  my  admission."     While  the  colloquy  lasted 
between  the  King  and  Damitz,  a  concourse  of  magis- 
trates and  citizens  flocked  out  of  the  fortress,  curious  to 
see  the  King,  who,  being  informed  that   the   burgo- 
master was  amongst  them,  went  up  to  him,  and  moving 
his  hat,  shook  him  heartily  by  the  hand,  telling  him 
"  he  came  to  visit  them  and  the  good  people  of  Germany 
in  the  character  of  a  friend,  and  not  in  that  of  a  king." 
During  this  interval  Duke  Bogislaus  himself  arrived  in 
a  sedan  chair.     The  King,  with  his  accustomed  good- 
natured  politeness,  met  him    half-way.       After  some 
conference,  the  Pomeranian  Sovereign,  a  poor  and  super- 
annuated Prince,  replied,  "  I  must  necessarily  submit 
to  superior  power  and  the   will   of  Providence ;"    to 
which  speech  Gustavus,  touching  him  gently  on  the 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLl'UUS. 

shoulder,  upon  seeing  the  windows  and  walls  of  the 
palace  crowded  with  ladies,  rejoined  with  artful  plea- 
santly, "  Yonder  fan-  defendants  of  your  garrison  would 
not  hold  out  three  minutes  against  one  company  of 
Dalicarnian  infantry :  you  should  behave  yourself, 
cousin,  with  greater  prowess  in  the  married  state  (the 
Duke  was  already  seventy  years  old,  and  had  no  issue), 
or  else  permit  me  to  request  you  to  adopt  me  for  your 
son  and  successor."  In  this  remark  the  King  spoke 
his  full  meaning,  and  upon  the  old  man's  death  in  the 
course  of  the  war,  the  Swedes  held  possession  of  Pome- 
rania  as  his  successors,  and  it  was  confirmed  to  them  by 
the  treaty  of  Munster 8.  When  the  Duke  returned  to 
the  town,  Lord  Eeay,  Colonel  of  the  Scottish  brigade, 
was  privately  instructed  by  Gustavus  to  escort  Bogis- 
laus  back  in  his  chair,  with  due  military  honour,  to  his 
capital,  and  he,  keeping  close  to  him,  entered  the  gates 
with  200  chosen  Scotch  musketeers,  who  immediately 
secured  the  outward  gate,  when  the  garrison  submitted, 
and  on  the  King's  invitation  at  once  enrolled  them- 
selves, to  the  number  of  1200  men,  amongst  the  Swedish 
army,  where  they  were  long  known  as  the  White 
Brigade.  Gustavus  ordered  the  officers  and  soldiers  to 
pitch  their  tents  on  the  ramparts,  because  he  did  not 
choose  them  to  incommode  or  molest  the  citizens. 
The  King  himself  took  up  his  bed  on  board  a  ship  that 
lay  in  the  mouth  of  the  Oder,  saying,  "  That  a  furred 
cloak  for  a  general,  and  clean  straw  for  a  soldier,  made 
excellent  beds  for  the  subjects  of  a  King  who  lay  in  a 
hammock."  This  happened  to  be  a  Saturday  night, 
and  on  Sunday  he  went  to  the  parade  with  his  soldiers, 
and  led  them  three  times  in  the  day  to  church,  assigning 
this  reason  to  his  officers  and  soldiers,  "  That  though 
war  might  be  their  amusement,  yet  religion  was  man's 
first  business."     The  citizens  were  astonished  at  con- 

6  Harte. 


L50 


I   [T8TAVUS    AD0LP1II  S. 


Gustavus 

lays  sio^c 
to  Meck- 
lenburg. 


duct  so  utterly  at  variance  with  that  of  the  Imperial 
troops,  and  were  so  charmed  with  the  King's  right- 
minded  conduct,  affability,  and  kindness  of  manner, 
that  they  advanced  His  Majesty  from  their  own  private 
stores  a  very  considerable  subsidy  of  money. 

Gustavus,  while  he  remained  at  Stettin,  to  settle  the 
treaty  with  the  Duke  of  Pomerania,  began  to  be  im- 
patient for  action,  and  despatched  Baner,  with  Lord 
Reay's  Scotchmen,  to  make  themselves  masters  of 
Damra,  a  small  fortress  six  miles  distant.  The  inha- 
bitants, upon  hearing  of  the  approach  of  these  1200 
soldiers,  like  good  politicians,  sent  Baner  word,  that,  as 
a  town  taken  by  storm  rarely  escaped  plunder  and 
misery,  they  would  leave  a  postern  gate  open  to  him 
in  the  night ;  which  hint  the  General  very  prudently 
took,  and  passed  into  the  fortress  soon  after  sunset. 
Stargard,  a  stronger  fortress  not  far  distant,  was  in  the 
hands  of  an  Imperial  Governor,  who  had  lately  imposed 
a  heavy  contribution  on  the  inhabitants.  Gustavus 
accordingly  sent  the  White  Brigade  against  it,  who, 
fraternizing  with  the  townsmen,  scaled  the  walls ;  and 
the  garrison  soon  capitulated.  Here  was  captured  a 
rich  magazine  of  corn  and  provisions.  Camin,  a  sea- 
port and  an  episcopal  town  on  the  promontory,  also 
underwent  the  same  fate.  The  Swedes  were  every 
where  received  with  open  arms,  as  well  in  town  as  in 
country  ;  for  they  paid  ready  money  for  all  they  took, 
and  respected  private  property  on  every  march.  The 
Imperialists,  on  pretence  of  cutting  off  the  resources  of 
the  enemy,  wTere  ordered  by  Torquato  di  Conti  to  lay 
every  place  waste,  and  to  plunder  without  compassion. 
Accordingly,  every  one  of  them  that  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Pomeranian  peasantiy  was  remorselessly  mur- 
dered. As  it  was  now  the  middle  of  August,  the  King 
formed  a  general  cam])  under  the  walls  of  Stettin,  which 
be  committed  to  the  care  of  Gustavus  Horn,  and  a  re- 
inforcement of  8000  troops  was  opportunely  received 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  151 

out  of  Livonia.  He  resolved,  as  his  next  enterprise,  to 
attempt  the  conquest  of  Mecklenburg,  which  lies  con- 
tiguous to  Pomerania,  partly  with  the  desire  of  recover- 
ing the  dominion  that  properly  belonged  to  his  kinsman, 
the  deprived  Duke,  and  partly  with  a  view  to  insult 
WaUenstein  in  his  new  acquisition, — an  enterprise  that 
he  knew  would  be  highly  popular  with  all  the  Princes 
of  the  Empire,  and  the  possession  of  which  would 
render  him  master  of  the  entire  shore  of  the  Baltic. 

Torquato  di  Conti,  although  an  Italian  by  birth,  had  Narrow 
considerable  Spanish  pride  in  his  composition,  and  pro-  ^caPe  ot 
fessed  to  despise  Gustavus,  whom  he  loudly  threatened  near  Da- 
with  his  intention  to  provide  him  good  employment,  mm' 
and  to  teach  him  that  he  had  left  his  laurels  in  the 
groves  of  Prussia.  This  man,  though  a  braggart,  was 
regarded  as  a  good  general ;  and,  since  he  could  not 
drive  the  King  out  of  Stettin,  he  endeavoured  to  render 
its  possession  useless  to  him,  by  intrenching  himself  at 
Gartz,  situated  upon  the  Oder  above  Stettin,  in  order 
to  cut  off  all  communication  between  the  Pomeranian 
capital  and  the  rest  of  Germany.  With  Roman  cau- 
tiousness, he  dared  not  attack  the  Swedes,  who  were 
superior  to  him  in  numbers ;  but,  with  Spanish  craft, 
he  thought  to  overreach  Gustavus  by  fraud  and  strata- 
gem. One  of  his  officers,  of  the  name  of  Quinti,  had 
amassed  much  ill-acquired  wealth  in  Damin,  which  the 
Swedes  were  next  about  to  besiege,  and  he  was  induced 
by  Di  Conti  to  carry  out  the  cowardly  scheme.  This  des- 
perate character  deserted  by  permission  to  the  Swedes, 
and  had  the  address  to  get  admitted  a  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  in  Falkenberg's  regiment.  One  day  the  King, 
with  a  very  small  escort,  went  out  to  view  in  person 
Torquato's  lines,  when  Quinti  galloped  forward  to  ap- 
prise the  Imperial  General,  who  sent  out  500  cuirassiers 
to  form  an  ambuscade.  These  succeeded  in  enclosing  the 
King  and  his  entire  Swedish  escort  in  a  narrow  pass, 
whence  they  could  neither  advance  nor  retreat.  No 
private  soldier  could  make  a  braver  defence  than  Gus- 


152  GUSTAVUS    ADO  LP  11 1  9. 

fcavu8  did;  and,  in  spite  of  tin-  disproportion  of  six  to 

one,  the  Swedes  kept  firm  to  their  leader,  nor  did  a 

single  man   flinch.      The   King  had  two  horses  killed 

under  him,  and  was  obliged  to  fight  hand  to  hand  on 

foot.     He  would  doubtless  have  been  taken  prisoner; 

but  when  they  attempted  to  carry  him  off,  he  moved 

so  sullenly  that  his   companions  had  time  to  throw 

themselves  around  him  in  despair,  and  in  the  struggle 

recovered  him,  every  man  being  alike   determined  to 

die  or  conquer  for  the  person  of  their  King.    At  length 

a  Livonian  Colonel  in  the  army,  who  got  uneasy  at  his 

master's  non-appearance,  despatched  a  troop  of  horse  to 

obtain  intelligence  about  him,  and,  finding  what  was  the 

state  of  affairs,  came  up  at  the  head  of  a  considerable 

detachment,  who  routed  the  Neapolitans.    An  attempt 

was  afterwards  made  bv  a  German  monk,  at  Di  Conti's 

instigation,  to  deliver  a  packet  of  poisoned  letters  to 

the  King  ;  but  that  attempt  was  ldtewise  detected  and 

frustrated. 

Capture  of      ^  somewhat  singular  and  curious  accident  brought 

Colberg.  ° 

Gustavus     the  fortress  of  Kiigenwalt,  a  large  town  with  a  good 

enters  the  harbour,  into  the  possession  of  the  Swedes.  Some  700 
Mecklen-  Scots,  who  were  crossing  the  Baltic,  under  llobert 
burg.  Monro,    to  join   the    Swedish   army,  had  the  misfor- 

tune to  be  wrecked  off  that  port.  The  Governor 
was  a  Pomeranian,  who  was,  however,  in  command  of 
an  Imperial  garrison  ;  but  this  man  listened  to  the 
proposition  of  Monro,  who  offered,  with  his  ship- 
wrecked companions,  if  he  would  leave  open  a  postern 
gate  at  night,  to  clear  the  town  of  associates  little 
agreeable  to  their  two  respective  masters.  By  singular 
fortitude  and  presence  of  mind  the  scheme  was  success- 
ful; and  Monro,  having  got  inside  the  dismantled 
castle,  maintained  himself  for  the  space  of  nine  weeks, 
till  his  countryman,  Colonel  Hepburn,  sent  by  Oxen- 
stierna  out  of  Livonia,  arrived  to  his  support  with  his 
regiment.  Being  soon  afterwards  joined  by  some 
Pomeranians    and    Swedes,    under    Kniphausen,    they 


GTTSTAYUS    ADOLPHUS.  153 

blockaded  Colberg  ;  and  the  King,  on  being  apprised 

of  these  strokes  of  fortune,  observed  that  "  be  began 

to  hope  that  the  Supreme  Being  now  gave  marks  of 

approbation  in  support  of  his  cause." 

The   greater  part  of  Pomerania  being  now  secure, 

Gustavus,  having  previously  secured  Stolpe,  embarked 

12,000  chosen  men  at  Stettin,  and,  passing  Wolgast 

and  Stralsund,  surprised  Barth,  and  then  took  by  storm 

Riebnitz    and   Darngarten,    which    opened   a   passage 

for  him  into  the  Duchy  of  Mecklenburg  ;  and  as  soon 

as  he  obtained  this  footing,  he  invited  the  inhabitants 

to  disown  Wallenstein  as  their  Duke,  and  to  return  to 

their   ancient  fine  of  princes.      Meanwhile  Torquato  The  Duke 

di  Conti,  to  bring  back  the  Kins:,  attacked  Horn  in      SaveUl  s 

.  unsuccess- 

his  mtrenchments  at  Stettin,  but  was  there  repulsed  m  mo-ve- 

with  considerable  loss  ;  and  accordingly  he  despatched  ments  in 
an  army  under  the  Duke  of  Savelli  into  the  Duchy  of  0f Mecklen- 
Mecklenburg,  in  order  to  counteract  the  King's  mo-  burg, 
tions  there.  He  however  did  no  good  by  this  division 
of  his  forces,  and  wasted  the  rest  of  the  campaign  in  a 
sort  of  desponding  inactivity.  Perhaps  he  thought  to 
give  time  to  Tilly  to  hasten  to  the  defence  of  the 
PrincipaHties.  Under  these  circumstances  the  Impe- 
rial General  resolved  to  allow  his  army  the  repose  of 
winter-quarters ;  but  he  found  he  had  to  do  with  an 
enemy  who  did  not  recognize  the  chmate  of  Germany 
as  a  winter  at  all.  Gustavus  had  had  the  forethought 
to  provide  his  soldiers  with  coats  of  sheep-skin  and 
other  comforts,  to  enable  them  to  keep  the  field  in  the 
most  inclement  season ;  and  he  said  with  pride,  "  My 
Swedes  are  soldiers  in  winter  as  well  as  in  summer. 
The  Imperialists  are  not  to  suppose  that  they  will  re- 
main undisturbed."  The  piercing  cold,  however,  pro- 
duced such  a  general  mortality  amongst  Torquato's 
army,  that  their  numbers  were  daily  diminished  by  de- 
sertion and  death,  and  all  discipline  threatened  to  come 
to  an  end  ;  so  that  their  General  resigned  a  command  in 
which  neither  wealth  nor  reputation  was  to  be  acquired. 


154  GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS. 

The  remainder  of  his  army  were  incessantly  harassed 
in  their  winter-quarters  by  the  Swedes  after  he  quitted 
them,  and  were  glad  to  withdraw  out  of  Fomerania 
into  Brandenburg,  sacrificing  much  of  their  artillery 
and  baggage,  and  losing  many  prisoners  in  their  re- 
treat. Savelli,  however,  acting  for  Wallenstein  as 
Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  and  desirous  of  securing  the 
good  graces  of  that  General,  despatched  4000  men  to 
cut  a  passage  for  themselves  into  liostock,  which  de- 
tachment the  Swedes  encountered  and  handled  very 
roughly  ;  hut  nevertheless  they  succeeded  in  their 
object,  and  the  King  left  Baner  to  keep  them  in  that 
town  blockaded. 
Pappen-  The    ejected    and    exiled    Dukes    of    Mecklenburg 

luMiii,  sent    na(j   in effectually    employed   the    Diet    assembled   at 
takes  the     Ratisbon   to   intercede    with    the   Emperor   for  their 
Duke  of      restoration   to  their  Duchy.     But    driven   to    despair 
enberg  mi-  ^y  Ferdinand's  inflexibility,  they  now  openly  espoused 
sonev  at       the    side   of    Sweden,    and,   raising   troops,    gave   the 
Ratzburg.    commant|  0f  them  to  the  Duke  of  Saxe   Lauenberg, 
who  made  himself  master  of  several  strong  places  on 
the  Elbe,  which  induced  Tilly  to  detach  General  Pap- 
penheim  to  check  him  ;  which  he  did  with  little  dilli- 
culty,   for  he  contrived  to  shut  him   up   in  his  own 
Id-other's  town  of  Ratzburg,  and  he  made  him  prisoner 
there.      Gustavus,   however,   had   in   the   mean    time 
cut  out  other  work  for  the   Imperial  General.     The 
King   had  roused    Prince  Christian   of  Brandenburg, 
the  Administrator  of  Magdeburg,  to  take  up  arms,  and 
had  given  him  letters  of  credit,  for  which  he  made 
himself  responsible,  to  obtain  the  requisite  funds.     On 
this  the   magistrates    and  people  of  the   city   rallied 
round  him,  and  he  got  together  a  force  of  infantry  and 
cavalry  amounting    to  4500   men.     With   this   force 
Christian  had  made  some  successful  raids  in  the  adjoin- 
ing  count ry;    but   Pappenheim,   the   most   able    and 
active   of  all    the   Imperial  Generals,  soon    compelled 
such  a  novice  in  the  art  of  war  as  the  Administrator 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  155 

to  contract  his  sallies,  and  at  length  reduced  him  to 

shelter  his  forces  within  the  city  of  Magdeburg,  round 

which  he  formed  his  army  in  blockade. 

On  the  23rd  of  December,  1630,  the  King  crossed  Gustavus 

the  Oder,  at  a  moment  when  his  adversaries  concluded  Sfp*S.res 
'  ...  (jreiffen- 

him  to  be  resting  in  winter-quarters ;  and,   after  re-  hagen  and 

viewing   his   troops,   and  finding  them  to  consist  of  Gartz. 
12,000  infantry,  85  squadrons  of  horse,  and  70  pieces  t 

of  cannon,  he  invested  Greiffenhagen,  at  break  of 
day,  after  a  midnight  march,  although  Schomberg 
lay  with  an  army  at  Gartz,  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river.  The  town  of  Greiffenhagen  stands  on  the 
north-east  side  of  the  Oder,  about  twelve  miles  from 
Stettin  ;  and,  by  means  of  its  bridge,  is  the  great  com- 
munication between  Pomerania  and  the  marshes  of 
Brandenburg.  Gustavus  sent  a  detachment  with 
orders  that  it  should  intrench  itself  on  the  eastern  foot 
of  Gartz-bridge,  to  keep  back  Schomberg  from  sending 
to  disturb  him.  His  Majesty,  having  then  examined 
the  ground  about  Greiffenhagen,  placed  sixty  pieces  of 
large  siege  guns  in  battery,  and,  opening  a  heavy  fire, 
soon  made  a  breach,  after  which  he  battered  the  wall, 
so  that  with  three  practicable  openings,  each  capable  of 
admitting  three  men  abreast,  he  ordered  an  assault,  in 
which  the  Governor,  Ferdinando  di  Capua,  a  Neapo- 
litan, died  bravely  resisting  the  Swedes,  who  had  some 
ado  to  extinguish  the  flames  which  a  handful  of  the 
Imperialists  had  kindled  in  several  places ;  but  the 
town  was  secured,  and  given  up  to  free  plunder  for  four 
hours.  Such,  however,  was  the  King's  discipline,  that, 
although  he  was  obliged  to  gratify  his  men  with  spoil, 
no  personal  outrages  were  committed.  Gustavus,  imme- 
diately after  Christmas-day,  crossed  the  Oder,  to  attack 
Schomberg  in  his  camp  at  Gartz,  and  finding  a  newly- 
constructed  fort  called  Capua's  Sconce,  or  Fort  Morritz, 
in  his  way,  he  caused  it  to  be  carried  with  hardly  any 
resistance.  When  preparing  to  proceed  to  Gartz,  word 
was  brought  that  the  town  was  in  flames ;  and  it  was 


150  BUSTAVTT8    A  DOLPHUS. 

discovered  thai  Schomberg  had  decamped,  alter  having 
sunk  his  guns  in  the  river,  burned  the  bridge,  and  carried 
off  his  troops  to  Frankfort  on  the  Oder,  where  he  pro- 
posed to  establish  a  camp.  The  Swedish  army  was  soon 
on  his  traces,  and  roughly  treated  the  rearguard  under 
Colonel  Spar,  taking  300  baggage  waggons.  Frankfort 
was  soon  found  too  distant  for  him  to  escape  to,  so 
that  he  was  fain  to  make  haste  to  reach  Kustrin,  which 
opened  its  gates  to  him,  and  deprived  Gustavus  of  the 
opportunity  he  expected  of  cutting  off  Schomberg's 
army  before  it  could  effect  a  junction  with  Tilly's. 
Treaty  of         The  month  of  January,  1031,  was  opened  with  nego- 

ulhuncebe- tiations.     The   King,  who  was   as  industrious   in  the 

tween  .^we-        .  .  ° 

den  and       cabinet  as  in  the  field,   entered  into  treaties  with  the 

Prance.  Archbishop  of  Bremen,  George  Duke  of  Luneberg, 
lays  siege  William  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel,  and  concluded  in 
toDemmin.  the  camp  of  Bernwalt,  in  the  Marquisate  of  Branden- 
burg, the  articles  of  alliance  between  France  and 
Sweden,  which  had  been  projected  the  previous  year. 
The  principal  articles  of  the  treaty  were,  that  His 
Majesty  of  Sweden  should  maintain  an  army  on  foot, 
consisting  of  30,000  men,  and  that  the  French  Xing 
should  furnish  him  annually  with  400,000  crowns, 
in  two  separate  payments,  at  the  choice  of  the  King  of 
Sweden.  During  the  interval  of  negotiation,  Leslie,  with 
his  Scottish  men,  rendered  himself  master  of  the  Castle 
of  Lignitz,  of  which  Gustavus  made  him  a  present  for  a 
country  villa  ;  and,  paying  no  regard  to  one  of  the  most 
severe  winters  that  Germany  had  felt  for  many  years, 
several  other  acts  of  successful  bravery  under  endurance 
were  accomplished ;  until  the  King,  being  joined  by 
Kniphausen,  invested  Demmin,  a  place  of  considerable 
importance  on  the  banks  of  the  Pene,  which  had  been 
made  the  grand  Imperial  magazine  on  the  shores  of  the 
Baltic,  and  of  which  no  less  a  person  than  the  Duke 
of  Savelli  had  constituted  himself  Governor,  having 
General  Hoik  serving  under  him  with  1700  veteran 
troops  as  garrison.    His  Majestj  thundered  against  the 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  157 

town  from  his  batteries  erected  the  first  afternoon  and 
night  after  the  investment,  and  next  morning  sent 
Teufel  to  repulse  a  general  sally  that  had  been  ordered 
by  Savelli.  In  a  few  clays  Kniphausen  made  a  lodgment 
on  the  fortifications,  and  obliged  the  garrison  to  with- 
draw to  an  old  tower,  of  which  it  was  thought  the  walls 
were  so  thick  that  cannon  would  have  no  effect  upon 
them.  Gustavus  accordingly  ordered  it  to  be  under- 
mined, which  was  accomplished,  in  spite  of  the  frost  in 
the  ground  ;  and  Hoik,  with  seven  companies,  sur- 
rendered, and  consented  to  enter  the  King's  service.  In 
this  action  one  Heatly,  an  English  officer,  and  Eobert 
Eoss,  a  Scottish  officer,  greatly  distinguished  them- 
selves by  their  resolution  and  coolness.  On  the  fourth 
morning  Savelli  sent  to  make  proposals  to  the  King, 
and  concluded  terms,  by  which  he  undertook  not  to 
serve  against  Sweden  or  its  allies  for  three  months. 

Tilly  had  written  to  beseech  Savelli  to  hold  out  only  Character 
four  days  longer,  when  he  promised  to  come  up  to  his  of  Savelli- 
assistance  ;  and  he  was  so  enraged  at  his  submission 
that  he  lodged  a  process  against  him  at  Vienna,  which 
brought  his  life  in  question,  but  he  was  protected  by 
the  Emperor.  When  Savelli  marched  out  with  the 
garrison,  Gustavus  met  him  on  horseback,  and  was 
astounded  at  seeing  him  dressed  in  a  large  periwig, 
afterwards  called  cliedreux,  when  it  had  become  the 
fashion.  The  foppery  of  it  excited  the  disgust  of 
Gustavus,  who  thought  so  fantastical  a  dress  to  be 
unworthy  a  soldier  on  the  field,  and  therefore  with 
some  indignation  told  him  "  he  was  more  fitted  to 
shine  in  a  drawing-room  than  on  a  field  of  battle." 
Savelli,  however,  though  in  outward  appearance  the 
fine  gentleman,  was  not  a  worthy  character.  He 
was  the  oddest  mixture  imaginable  of  bigotry, 
cruelty,  and  rapine.  He  was  considered  as  one  of 
the  Inquisitors-General,  rather  than  a  General  Go- 
vernor in  Mecklenburg,  for  he  took  proceedings 
to    allow  no    child  in  the  Duchy  to  receive  the  rite 


158  OTTSTA.VUS    ABOLPIIl'S. 

of  baptism  from    the  hands  of  a  Lutheran   minister, 

and  troubled  the  religious  scruples  of  the  community, 

while  he  was  sordid  and  avaricious  in  plundering  the 

country.     At  one  time  it  happened  that  a  number  of 

horses   was  received  as  contributions  from  the  gentry 

and  fanners  of  the  district,  when,  not  thinking  them 

from  their  leanness  and  ill  plight  to  be  worth  selling  or 

worth  redeeming,  he  had  them  killed  and  flayed,  and 

put  the  money  obtained  for   the  hides  into  his  own 

pocket 7. 

The  Elcc-         The  Imperialists  had  now  thrown  themselves  into 

T?r    .  ^        the  marshes  of  Brandenburg,  which  accordingly  became 

bnrg resists  the  theatre  of  the  most  barbarous  atrocities.     These 

the  Impe-    outrages  were  inflicted  upon  a  Prince,  who,  though  a 

wi  lists 

Protestant,  had  not  taken  up  arms  against  the  Em- 
peror ;  and  it  was  the  worse  policy,  because  there 
existed  many  concurrent  reasons  for  expecting  that 
the  Elector  might  be  incited  in  consequence  of  them 
to  take  up  arms  for  the  King.  At  length,  in  spite 
of  his  most  pressing  remonstrances,  being  left  without 
redress  or  under  a  force  sufficient  to  repress  the  dis- 
orders or  protect  his  territories  from  the  excesses  of  the 
mercenaries,  the  Elector  issued  an  edict,  ordering  his 
subjects  to  repel  force  by  force,  and  to  put  to  death 
without  mercy  every  Imperial  soldier  who  might 
henceforth  be  detected  in  plundering. 
Siege  and         As   soon  as  Tilly,  marching  up  from  Frankfort  on 

captnre        ^he  Oder,  to  raise  the  siege  of  Demmin,  heard  of  its 

of  New  . 

Brandon-  fall,  be  turned  aside  to  New  Brandenburg.  This  place 
burg  by  the  was  garrisoned  by  Kniphausen  with  2000  Swedes  and 
i-K "and "of  Irtish,  who  had  been  ordered  by  Gustavus  to  retire. 
Frankfort  This  man  was  an  approved  commander  of  the  King's — 
Od  l<\  a  scu(lier  °f  slow,  but  excellent  parts,  whose  principle 
the  Swedes,  was  to  leave  something  to  fortune,  and  to  say,  "  Come 
what  may,  a  grain  of  good  luck  is  better  than  an  ounce 
of  good  sense."     Not  receiving  the  King's  commands 

1  Haiti'. 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  159 

to  give  the  place  up,  he  felt  certain  that  he  should  be 
relieved,  because  he  was  quite  destitute  of  artillery  to 
make  a  long  defence.  He  therefore  acquitted  himself 
like  a  good  soldier,  and  for  some  days  endured  the  pelt- 
ing storm  of  Tilly's  guns,  which  made  little  impression 
upon  the  walls.  It  was  now  the  eighth  day  after  the 
bombardment  had  begun,  when  Raymond  Count  cli 
Montecucculi,  then  in  his  twenty-eighth  year,  disco- 
vered a  hole  in  the  wall,  into  which  he  led  some  troops 
rashly  and  without  orders  ;  but  being  well  supported, 
he  succeeded  in  securing  the  gates,  and  presented  the 
city  keys  to  the  astonished  General  before  he  had 
learned  the  attack.  Gustavus,  however,  was  pleased 
with  Kniphausen  for  his  fidelity,  and  would  often 
afterwards  remark  of  him,  "  This  is  the  man  who  de- 
fended a  walled  village  against  Tilly."  The  King  was, 
however,  enraged  that  the  Imperial  General  had  put 
to  the  sword  2000  Swedes  and  Germans.  He  had 
arrived  as  far  as  Anklam  on  the  Pene,  on  his  way  to 
relieve  Kniphausen,  when  he  heard  of  this  massacre, 
and  avowed  that  he  would  make  Tilly  behave  more 
like  a  person  of  humanity  than  a  savage  Croatian. 
Tilly,  however,  passed  on  westward  unchecked,  to  join 
Pappenheim  under  the  walls  of  Magdeburg,  while 
Gustavus,  with  18,000  men,  200  pieces  of  cannon, 
and  a  pontoon  train  180  feet  long,  hastened  eastward 
to  get  possession,  if  possible,  of  Frankfort  on  the 
Oder,  of  which  General  Tieffenback,  who  was  Camp- 
Master-General  of  the  Imperial  army,  was  consti- 
tuted Governor.  The  place  was  invested  on  the  1st 
of  April,  "  veteri  Germanorum  consuetudine  ludibrii 
plena  die."  The  King,  being  in  haste  lest  Tilly 
should  come  back  upon  him,  would  neither  construct 
lines  nor  approaches,  nor  leave  the  enemy  much 
time  for  reflection,  but  determined  to  storm  the  town 
sword  in  hand.  A  battery  of  twelve  heavy  guns  was 
opened  upon  the  Guber  Gate,  and  several  other  bat- 
teries  played   at   the    same    time  to  create  a  diver- 


100  GU8TAYU8   ADOI/PHUS. 

sion,  while  tho  yellow  and  blue  brigades  got  ready 
for  an  assault  with  the  white  brigade  in  support, 
and  the  Bhinegrave,  with  the  cavalry,  protected  the 
rest  of  the  artillery,  and  kept  a  sharp  eye  on  the 
road  that  Tilly  might  be  likely  to  advance  upon.  Gus- 
tavus  himself,  calling  on  Hepburn  and  Lumsden  by 
name,  to  assist  him  with  their  "  valiant  Scots,  and 
to  remember  Brandenburg,"  placed  a  petard  on  the 
Guber  Gate,  and  shivered  it  to  pieces  with  such  effect 
on  the  nerves  of  the  defenders,  that  they  forgot  to  let 
fall  the  portcullis,  and  the  Swedes,  instantly  rushing  in, 
formed  themselves  up  as  quickly  as  the  narrow  street 
would  allow,  and  went  forward.  At  length  the  yellow 
and  blue  brigades — two  bodies  of  troops  the  most 
highly  esteemed  in  the  Swedish  army — got  inside,  and 
the  Imperialist  garrison  was  cut  to  pieces.  Tieffen- 
back  and  Schomberg  escaped  over  the  bridge,  and  con- 
ducted their  flying  troops  to  Great  Glogau,  in  Silesia, 
nearly  sixty  miles  distant :  1700  of  the  garrison  were 
left  dead  in  the  town,  fifty  colours  were  captured,  and 
a  great  many  officers  taken  prisoners.  His  Majesty 
took  infinite  pains  to  prevent  pillage,  and  exercised  his 
baton  on  the  heads  of  the  assailants  without  remorse. 
But  the  town  was  known  to  be  the  depository  of  all 
the  ill-gotten  wealth  of  the  Imperialists,  and  the  men 
could  not  be  restrained.  Ten  baggage  waggons  were 
taken,  containing  the  plate  and  money  belonging 
to  the  generals ;  eighteen  pieces  of  great  ordnance, 
and  900  cpiintals  of  gunpowder  were  found  in  the 
arsenal. 
Interview  The  King  confided  the  charge  of  Frankfort  to  Leslie, 
with  the  \nt\\  directions  to  repair  and  improve  the  fortifications  ; 
Berlin.  '  an(l  then,  having  despatched  the  Bhinegrave  and  Bau- 
Tilly  and  ditzen  with  a  flying  corps  into  Silesia,  and  ordered 
heuneffect  D^ridi  Balkenberg,  an  experienced  officer,  to  make 
a  junction,  the  best  of  his  way  back,  and  get  into  Magdeburg,  to 
direct  the  Administrator's  military  operations  there 
with  his  counsel,  Gustavus  thought  fit  to  turn  back,  and 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  161 

look  after  his  friends — the  two  Electors — of  whose  fide- 
lity he  had  some  misgivings.     On  the  way  he  turned 
aside  a  little,  on  the  16th  of  April,  to  attack  and  carry 
Landsherg  on  the  Warthe ;  he  now  sent  before  him 
Count  Ortemberg,  and,  after  him,  Gustavus  Horn,  with 
some  troops,  to  Berlin,  on  a  mission  to  the  Elector: 
they  were  directed  to  require  from  him  the  occupation 
of  Kustrin  and  Spandau,  as  also  subsistence  and  pay  for 
his  army.    He  followed  them  quickly  in  person,  to  make 
his  demands  more  effectual  upon  his  brother-in-law,  at 
the  head  of  a  flying  escort  of  five  squadrons  and  four 
guns.     His  Majesty  and  the  Elector  met  about  a  mile 
from  Berlin,  where  they  were  joined  by  Albert  Duke 
of  Mecklenburg ;   but  they  had  made  no  way  in  any 
accommodation,  until  the  Electress,  his  mother-in-law, 
and  the  ladies  of  the  Court,  came  into  the  house  in 
which  they  were  assembled.     Terms  were  then  soon 
agreed  upon,  and  Gustavus  was  invited  to  dine  and  sleep 
in  Berlin,  under  the  protection  of  his  own  guard 8.    The 
King  only  succeeded,  however,  in  obtaining  agreement 
to  the  appointment  of  his  own  officer,   Colonel  Axel 
Lilly,  as  Governor  of  Spandau,  but  could  not  obtain 
possession  of  Kustrin  for  a  longer  period  than  a  month  ; 
nor  could  he  persuade  the  Elector,  by  the  most  eloquent 
appeals  to  his  Protestantism,  to  join  him  in  an  imme- 
diate attempt  for  the  relief  of  Magdeburg.     Gustavus, 
however,  carried  forward  his   army  to   Potsdam,  and 
thence  sent  to  request  John  George  of  Saxony  to  join 
him  with  his  forces,  or  else  to   permit  his    army   to 
march  through  his  Electorate,  in  order  to  raise  the 
siege ;    both  which  requests  this  Prince   denied   him, 
alleging  that  the  Imperial  troops   coming  up  out  of 
Italy,  under  the  command  of  Aldringer,  would  shortly 
be  upon  him.     The  Elector  was   equally  deaf  to  the 

8  The  great  Frederick  relates  that  when  his  ancestor  was 
remonstrated  with  for  his  concessions,  he  said,  "  Mais  que  faire  ? 
Ik  ont  des  canons,"  an  argument  which  to  the  mind  of  the 
Elector  George  William  it  was  impossible  to  gainsay. 

M 


102  (.1  STATUS    ADOLPIIUS. 

solicitations  contained  in  a  second  letter  from  the 
King,  far  more  urgent  than  the  former ;  hut  the 
poor  potentate  seemed  as  one  petrified  with  alarm, 
and  would  only  grant  Gustavus  permission  to  trans- 
port provisions  and  powder  through  his  dominions  to 
the  distressed  garrison  at  Magdeburg*. 
Political  The  King  was  still  at  Potsdam  on  the  10th  of  May, 

conse-  -n  £jie  mi(ist  0f  au  his  negotiations,  when  he  was  an- 

<  1116]  LCGS  Ol 

the  fall  of  prised  of  the  fall  of  Magdeburg.  Tilly,  while  he  was 
Magde-  yefc  uncertain  of  mastering  the  place,  and  was  appre- 
hensive of  the  further  advance  of  Gustavus,  with,  it 
has  been  thought,  unworthy  precipitation  ordered  the 
bridge  of  Dessau,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Mulda  and 
the  Elbe,  to  be  destroyed,  to  protect  his  rear.  But  this 
timid  precaution  now  prevented  him  from  advancing 
against  his  foe  in  the  open  field,  or  from  obstructing 
the  conquests  of  the  Swedes  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river ;  moreover,  the  Imperialist  army  now  marched 
away  through  the  Harz  forest,  which  left  both  the 
fluctuating  Electors  without  Imperial  support,  entirely 
under  the  influence  of  the  King. 
The  King's  Throughout  Germany  the  dreadful  fate  inflicted 
inaction  a^  ^-g  ^me  ^  ^he  conqueror  on  the  population  of 
Magdeburg  spread  terror  and  consternation  among 
the  Protestants  ;  and  the  inaction  of  Gustavus  for 
their  relief  was  the  subject  of  loud  and  general  com- 
plaint against  the  "  Bulwark  of  the  Protestant  faith." 
Full  justice  was  not,  however,  done  to  the  wondrous 
performances  of  the  "  Lion  of  the  North,"  In  eight 
months'  time  he  had  made  himself  master  of  fourscore 
cities,  forts,  and  castles,  and  had  cleared  the  whole 
country  beliind  him  to  the  shores  of  the  Baltic — a 
district  nearly  140  miles  in  breadth.     This  "  King  of 

9  This  place,  so  celehrated  for  its  most  unmerited  sufferings 
at  the  hands  of  Tilly  in  the  Seven  Years'  War,  derives  its  name 
of  Maiden-toivn  from  the  worship  of  Venus,  for  which  it  was 
celehrated,  until  converted  to  Christianity,  with  the  rest  of 
Saxony,  hy  Charlemagne. 


GTISTAYUS   ADOLPHUS.  163 

Snow,"  as  the  German  Emperor's  councillors  called 
him,  in  misplaced  derision,  was  at  the  same  time  con- 
tinuing to  gain  ground  every  hour.  His  army  in  the 
same  period  had  increased  from  20,000  to  nearly  40,000 
men  ;  and  his  troops  in  reserve  in  Sweden,  consisting  of 
25,000  soldiers,  were  now  very  efficient  from  their  dis- 
cipline, and  ready  to  cross  the  Baltic  when  required. 
But  the  position  Gustavus  held  in  Germany  made  it 
necessary  that  he  should  not  move  forward  without 
securing  his  flanks  and  rear ;  a  single  premature  move- 
ment might  interrupt  all  communication  with  his  own 
kingdom.  But  he  had  other  impediments  which  pre- 
vented him  from  rendering  the  assistance  which  was 
required  and  expected  of  him.  Two  routes  led  to 
Magdeburg :  the  one,  on  which  the  enemy  might  dis- 
pute with  him  the  passage  of  the  Elbe  ;  the  other,  where 
the  bridges  at  Dessau  and  Wittenberg  would  enable 
him  to  cross  that  river.  But  he  could  not  adopt  this 
latter  route,  nor  avail  himself  of  the  supplies  of  Saxony, 
without  the  concurrence  of  the  Sovereigns  of  the  two 
Electorates  through  which  he  must  pass,  both  of  whom, 
if  not  hostile,  were  at  least  to  be  mistrusted.  At  the 
same  time,  lest  he  should  lose  irretrievably  the  good 
will  of  the  people  for  whose  deliverance  he  had  entered 
upon  the  war,  Gustavus  thought  himself  under  the 
necessity  of  publishing  to  the  world  a  justification  of 
his  conduct.  Injurious,  however,  as  were  the  immediate 
consequences  of  the  fall  of  Magdeburg,  its  remoter 
effects  were  most  advantageous  to  the  Protestant  cause. 
Active  resentment  at  the  conduct  of  the  Emperor  and 
the  Imperial  General  arose  after  the  first  consternation 
had  a  little  subsided.  Despair  inspired  courage,  and 
the  ultimate  liberty  and  freedom  of  Germany  arose  like 
a  phoenix  out  of  the  ashes  of  that  ill-fated  town l. 

Among  the  Princes  of  the  Leipzig  Confederation,  the  The  King 
Elector  of  Saxony  and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  were  r£mp^s 

of  Meek - 
>  Sehiller.  lenburS- 

M   2 


164  GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS. 

still  lukewarm  in  the  Emperor's  interests,  as  well  as 
in  those  of  Gustavus ;  but  Hesse  was  already  "  pro- 
nouncing ;"  and  against  the  hitter,  therefore,  Tilly 
proceeded  from  Magdeburg  through  Thuringia ;  and, 
crossing  the  Harz  forest,  he  advanced  onwards  as  far 
as  Erfurt.  Meanwhile  the  King  quitted  Berlin,  and, 
making  a  speedy  visit  to  Stettin,  marched  on  to  Gus- 
trow,  having  resolved  to  avail  himself  of  the  absence  of 
the  Imperialist  General  to  reinstate  the  two  proscribed 
Princes  of  Mecklenburg.  As  that  age  loved  pomp,  he 
determined  that  their  inauguration  should  be  as  splendid 
as  circumstances  would  admit  of.  The  clergy,  the 
senators,  and  the  nobility,  headed  the  procession.  Then 
came  the  elder  Duke,  dressed  in  a  court  suit  of  mourn- 
ing, attended  by  thirty-six  halberdiers.  After  the  Sove- 
reign, who  was  preceded  by  a  band  of  trumpeters, 
followed  the  King  of  Sweden  on  horseback,  dressed  in 
green,  with  a  blue  and  white  plume  in  his  hat.  He 
was  attended  by  twenty-four  running  footmen,  and  by 
an  escort  of  cavah-y.  The  junior  Duke  marched  after, 
attended  by  Prince  Ulric  of  Denmark,  the  Dukes  of 
Pomerania  and  Courland,  and  all  the  Princes  and  Prin- 
cesses of  the  House  of  Mecklenburg.  A  body  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  in  130  coaches,  and  1800  cavaliers  well 
mounted  and  well  habited,  closed  the  procession.  This 
cavalcade  marched  first  to  the  great  Church,  where 
divine  service  was  performed,  and  afterwards  to  the 
Town-hall,  where  the  Chancellor,  Oxenstierna,  made 
an  oration,  and  exhorted  all  to  disclaim  Wallenstein, 
and  acknowledge  their  natural  masters. 
Gustavus  The  King,  who   never  for  a  moment  removed  his 

aollnat68      thoughts  from  the  transactions  of  the  campaign,  now 
Tilly.  returned  without  delay  to  his  camps  at  and  near  New 

Brandenburg,  and,  adopting  another  plan  of  taking 
advantage  of  his  adversary's  absence,  he  crossed  the 
Elbe  in  the  first  days  of  July,  and  advanced  to  the 
very  bridge  of  Magdeburg.  This  obliged  Pappenheim, 
who  was  there  in  command,  to  withdraw  within  the 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS.  165 

town ;  and  he  was  indeed  so  much  alarmed  at  this 
inroad  of  Gustavus,  that  he  anxiously  called  back  Tilly 
to  his  assistance,  and  prevailed  upon  him  to  return 
by  rapid  marches  to  Magdeburg ;  which  proceedings 
checked  the  movements  of  the  King. 

Tilly  therefore  appeared  at  Wolmerstadt  at  the  mo- 
ment when  Gustavus,  on  the  same  side  of  the  river, 
was  most  judiciously  encamped  at  Werben,  not  far 
from  the  confluence  of  the  Havel  and  the  Elbe.  On 
the  17th,  the  Swedes  routed  three  or  four  of  the  Im- 
perial regiments,  and  burned  or  captured  their  baggage. 
This  induced  Tilly  to  offer  the  King  battle ;  but  Gus- 
tavus, deeming  his  position  strong,  and  that  he  was 
not  in  sufficient  force  to  hazard  an  attack,  declined  it. 
However,  in  order  to  secure  himself  where  he  was,  he 
commanded  Baner  to  take  Havelburg  by  assault,  since 
by  possessing  that  place  he  secured  the  western  bank 
of  that  river  as  far  as  Spandau.  The  attack  was  made 
at  daybreak,  and  the  blue  brigade,  under  Winkel,  crossed 
the  river  with  astonishing  resolution,  though  the  water 
was  up  to  the  men's  shoulders.  The  action  was  brisk 
while  it  lasted ;  but  the  place  yielded  with  410  pri- 
soners, without  much  loss  to  the  Swedes.  "While  Gus- 
tavus was  at  Werben,  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel, 
who  had  just  narrowly  escaped  a  visit  from  Tilly, 
arrived  in  the  King's  camp, — the  first  German  So- 
vereign who  had  voluntarily  and  openly  joined  Gusta- 
vus. A  treaty  was  speedily  concluded  between  the 
two  Sovereigns,  and  Hesse  Cassel  adhered  to  the 
Swedish  alliance  during  the  whole  of  the  remainder  of 
the  war. 

The  Queen  of  Sweden  landed  at  Wolgast  with  8000  Tilly  enters 
men,  and  joined  her  illustrious  husband  in  the  camp  at   ry*°?yJ 
Werben.  just  the  very  day  twelvemonth  on  which  they  clares  for 
had  separated  in  Sweden.     But   Tilly   also  received  a  tne  Pr°- 
reinforcement  of  18,000  men  under  Furstenberg,  and  Union, 
now  sent  his  orders  to  the  Elector  of  Saxony  to  open 
his  territories  to  the  Imperial  troops ;  and  either  to 


!(j(J  i,l  MAVIS    ADOLPHUS. 

disband  his  army   or  unite   it  with  the  army  of  the 
Emperor,  in  order  that  he  might  lend  a  hand  to  drive 
the  intruder  out  of  Germany:   and  he  threatened,  in 
case  of  refusal,  the  most  destructive  ravages  upon  the 
Electorate.     John  George,  who  had  by  no  means  cor- 
dially welcomed  the  Swedes,  was  not  disposed  to  admit 
so  imperious  a  requisition,  hut  in  reply  contented  him- 
self for  the  moment  with  forbidding  the  quartering  of 
the  Imperial  troops  within  his  territories.     Tilly,  in 
consequence,  broke  up  his  camp  to  carry  out  his  threat, 
and  with  the  most   frightful   devastation   carried  his 
army  to  Halle,  where  he  renewed  his  demands  upon  the 
Elector  in  a  style  still  more  peremptory  and  threaten- 
ing ;  for  he  demanded  that  the  passage  of  the  Elbe  at 
the  bridge  of  Wittenberg  should  be  yielded  to  him. 
The  Saxon  Elector,  rendered  desperate  by  this,  and  by 
the  appeals  of  his  suffering   people,  immediately  de- 
spatched Field-Marshal  Arnheim  to  the  camp  of  Gus- 
tavus,  to  solicit  the  prompt  assistance  of  the  monarch, 
whom  he  had  hitherto  neglected,  and  so  long  tacitly 
opposed.     "  I  am  sorry  for  the  Elector,"  replied  the 
King,  who  could  scarcely  conceal  the   satisfaction  he 
felt  at  this  long  wished-for  result ;  "  had  His  Highness 
heeded  my  repeated  remonstrances,  his  country  would 
never  have  seen  the  face  of  an  enemy,  and  Magdeburg 
would  not  have  fallen.     But  I  will  not  ruin  my  own 
cause  for  the  sake  of  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  who  may 
abandon  me  as  soon  as  the  Emperor  flatters  him,  and 
withdraws  his  troops  from  his  frontiers.     Tilly,  it  is 
true,  has  received  strong  reinforcements  ;  but  this  shall 
not  prevent  me  from  meeting  him  in  the  field  with 
confidence  as  soon  as  I  have  covered  my  rear,  and  am 
otherwise  prepared  to  attack  him."     He  nevertheless 
gave  Arnheim  to  understand,  that  he  was  ready  to  act 
with  his  master  on  certain  concessions  and  advances 
made  on  the  Elector's  part.     "  I  require,"  said  Gus- 
tavus,  "that  the  Elector  shall  cede  to  me  the  fortress 
of  Wittenberg,  that  the  Electoral  Prince  shall  serve  in 


GUSTAVTJS    ADOLPHLS.  167 

my  army  as  a  hostage,  that  my  troops  shall  he  sup- 
plied with  three  months'  pay,  and"  (knowing  that  the 
Elector  had  an  Austrian  faction  among  his  councillors, 
of  whom  Arhheim  the  negotiator  was  thought  to  he 
one)  "  I  must  require  that  all  traitors  shall  be  delivered 
up  to  me,  that  I  may  myself  judge  and  punish  them." 
John  George  readily  and  promptly  acceded  to  these 
terms,  and  the  King  invited  him,  together  with  his 
brother-in-law  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  to  meet 
him  at  Torgau  in  a  council  of  war ;  they  assembled  there 
to  determine  upon  the  course  they  should  immediately 
adopt ;  for  Tilly  with  44,000  veterans  had  now  invested 
Leipzig,  and  had  threatened  it  with  the  fate  of  Magde- 
burg. 

Both  Harte  and  Schiller  profess  to  give  the  grand  The  Saxons 
political  debate  which  took  place  at  Torgau  at  this  gv^e(jese 
juncture.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  "  Snow  King,"  against 
who  had  by  this  time  become  a  veritable  snow-ball  Tm-y- 
(vires  acquirit  eundo),  had  by  the  alliances  which  he 
had  cemented  with  the  Electors  of  Saxony  and  Bran- 
denburg, the  Dukes  of  Mecklenburg  and  Pomerania, 
and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel,  attained  a  secure 
and  well-supported  position  hi  the  north  of  Germany.  It 
was  necessary,  however,  to  deal  with  his  new  associates 
with  a  good  deal  of  tact,  for  he  suspected  the  selfishness 
of  his  new  allies,  and  therefore  began  by  working  upon 
their  fears.  "  Shall  we  resolve  upon  battle  ?  Fortune 
is  changeable,  and  heaven  may,  for  our  sins,  give  the 
victory  to  our  enemies.  I  may  be  safe  under  the  worst 
consequences  of  a  defeat ;  but  what  chances  of  escape 
are  there  for  you  ?  If  we  should  happen  to  be  over- 
come, you  Princes  are  lost  beyond  redemption."  Gus- 
tavus,  having  thus  spoken  with  the  modest  diffidence 
of  a  hero  and  as  an  experienced  statesman,  saw  that  the 
Elector  of  Saxony,  smarting  under  the  indignities  he 
had  received,  was  impatient  and  moved  to  the  last 
degree  at  seeing  his  country  oppressed  by  the  presence 
of  contending  armies,  and  depopulated  by  the  excesses 


108  GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS. 

of  the    Imperialists,    and,    overcoming   all   his    fears, 
earnestly   longed   for  a  battle.     So   that,   after   some 
minor  objections  and  representations,  this  was  deter- 
mined upon.     No  general  could  have  acted  with  more 
coolness  and  judgment  than  Gustavus  Adolphus.     He 
had  prepared  in  his  mind  for  this  result,  and  for  speedy 
action.       The   bridge    of    Wittenberg    being    in   his 
hands,  he  had  already  issued  orders  to  Horn  and  Baner 
to  meet  him  at  this  place  of  rendezvous,  about  sixteen 
miles  from  thence;    Colonel  Hay  had  been  directed 
to  occupy  Havelburg  ;  Avhile  Bauditzen  was  now  de- 
sired to  remain   in   charge  of  the  camp  at  Werben. 
The  King,  however,  with  the  delicacy  of  a  man  of 
honour  and  station,  kept  all  his  troops  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Elbe,  that  he  might  leave  the  Saxon  army 
encamped  on  the  right  bank  until  he  obtained  from  the 
Elector  his  authority  in  writing  to  cross  the  bridge. 
The   united  Swedish  and  Saxon   armies  then  crossed 
the  Mulda  early  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1631,  before,  it  is  said,  Tilly  knew  any  thing 
of  the  junction  of  the  Saxons,  and  the  hostile  armies 
came  in  presence  of  each  other  on  the  plain  of  Breiten- 
feld,  a  small  town  about  four  miles  from  Leipzig. 
The  battle       The  King's  Governor  of  that  city,  one  Yopel,  had 
°f    «*? :  weakly  yielded  it  up  to  the  Imperialist  General  two 
victorious,    days  previously ;    and  the  Castle  of  Pleisenberg  had 
surrendered  after  about  a  week's  resistance  in  the  same 
disgraceful  manner.  Aldringer  and  TiefFenback  were  also 
at  this  time  hourly  expected  to  arrive  from  Erfurt  with 
reinforcements.    Tilly  was  disposed  to  await  them,  and, 
if  possible,  avoid  a  battle  until  they  should  come  up. 
Gustavus,  however,  on  the  other  hand,  was  intent  on 
bringing  matters  to  an  issue,  and  had  left  all  his  baggage 
and  tents  behind  him  in  his  camp,  because  he  hoped 
to  keep  the  ardour  of  his  men  upon  the   alert,   and 
thought  it  would  do  them  no  harm  at  this  season  to 
sleep  in  the  open  field  without  their  tents.    His  Majesty 
having  then  arranged  his  order  of  battle,  called  round 


gustAvus  adolphus.  169 

him  his  generals  the  evening  before  the  action,  and  told 
them  "  they  were  about  to  fight  to-morrow  troops  all 
of  them  of  a  different  stamp  from  the  Polanders  or 
Cossacks  to  which  they  had  been  hitherto  opposed. 
Fellow-soldiers,"  he  said,  "  I  will  not  dissemble  the 
danger  of  the  crisis.  You  will  have  a  day's  work  that 
will  be  worthy  of  you,  It  is  not  my  temper  to  diminish 
the  merit  of  veteran  troops  like  the  Imperialists ;  but  I 
know  my  own  officers  well,  and  scorn  the  thought  of 
deceiving  them.  Our  numbers  are  perhaps  inferior ; 
but  God  is  just ;  and  remember  Magdeburg."  The 
King  then  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  through  the 
ranks  of  his  army  with  that  peculiar  cheerfulness  and 
confidence  in  his  manner  which  was  his  characteristic, 
and  returned  to  get  an  hour  or  two's  sleep  in  his  coach 
(when  it  is  recorded  by  all  historians  that  he  dreamed 
of  a  pugilistic  conflict  with  Tilly,  in  which  he  floored 
Mm).  But  at  dawn  of  day  he  was  on  horseback  again, 
and  reconnoitring  the  position  of  the  two  armies.  The 
Swedes  counted  7000  horse  and  8000  foot ;  and  the 
Saxons  11,000  infantry  and  4000  cavalry.  The  Im- 
perialist army  exceeded  the  numbers  of  the  Swedes  and 
Saxons  combined  by  between  5000  and  10,000  men. 

As  the  Confederate  army  determined  to  make  the 
attack,  the  Imperial  General  had  the  choice  of  the 
ground ;  and  he  adopted  the  slope  of  a  gently  rising 
hill  to  the  south-west  of  Podelwitz.  It  was  thought 
in  those  days  to  be  of  great  advantage  in  the  defence 
to  have  both  sun  and  wind  in  your  favour ;  and  these 
Tilly  had  appropriately  considered.  Behind  his  position 
was  a  large  wood.  The  Imperialists  wore  white  rib- 
bons in  their  hats  and  helmets ;  and  the  Confederates 
sprigs  of  oak  or  holly.  Two  highways  passed  through 
and  across  the  field  of  battle.  The  Imperial  fine  made 
only  one  extensive  front  from  Soehausen  to  Lindenthal, 
having  neither  second  line  nor  reserve.  The  artillery 
was  placed  on  the  eminences  that  rose  behind  their 
position.     The  Confederate  army  was  drawn  up  on  the 


170 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLtUUS. 


Gustavus 
totally 
routs  the 
Impe- 
rialists at 
Leipzig. 


plain — the  Saxon  army  on  the  left,  upon  and  behind  an 
eminence  crowned  by  their  guns,  and  the  Swedes  in  dis- 
tinct peletons,  all  acting  together,  but  each  under  chief- 
tains of  their  own,  and  so  commanded  as  to  have  the 
power  of  moving  rapidly  from  place  to  place,  thus  con- 
tributing to  the  King's  power  by  massing  the  whole 
when  required  on  one  point.  This  endeavour  to  make 
his  army  a  piece  of  machinery  in  his  own  hand  on  the 
day  of  battle  was  a  distinction  of  the  King's  creative 
genius,  since  adopted  by  every  one,  but  here  practised 
for  the  first  time ;  and  many  other  expedients  in  the 
tactics  of  his  army  equally  showed  his  peculiarly  careful 
attention  to  details 2.  The  musketeers  and  horsemen 
were  either  mixed  together  in  a  column,  or,  when  moving 
forward  in  fine,  the  infantry  were  flanked  by  cavalry. 
Some  of  these  expedients  were,  however,  rather  resorted 
to  as  calculated  to  confound  the  enemy's  tactics  of  that 
time,  than  as  permanent  discoveries  in  war.  The  King 
was  also  better  served  with  intelligence  than  the  Im- 
perialist General,  so  that  he  came  against  Tilly  with 
many  advantages  unshared  by  the  latter. 

The  Swedish  and  Saxon  armies  advanced  to  the 
attack  in  compact  columns,  in  order  to  pass  the  Loder 
near  Podelwitz,  where  Pappenheim,  almost  in  spite  of 
his  General's  wishes  and  instructions,  fell  upon  them 
in  their  march,  at  the  head  of  2000  cuirassiers.  The 
King,  clothed  in  a  new  suit  of  grey  cloth,  wear- 
ing a  green  plumage  on  his  beaver,  and  mounted 
on  a  horse  of  the  colour  called  "  flea-bitten "  (j)oil 
d'etourneau),  might  be  distinctly  recognized  by  friend 
and  foe  as  he  moved  forward  at  the  head  of  his  horse  to 
the  encounter  of  Pappenheim,  and  His  Majesty  pushed 
his  onset  with  a  degree  of  resolution  and  fury  that 
could  scarcely  be  exceeded,  for  he  was  desirous  to  get 
the  wind  in  his  favour,  and  to  secure  the  left  flank 

2  It  has  hcen  stated  that  the  fine  disposition  of  his  army  made 
by  Gustavus  in  the  battle  of  Leipzig  added  more  to  the  art  of  war 
than  any  that  had  been  adopted  since  the  time  of  Julius  Csesar. 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHL'S.  171 

from  a  battery  that  traversed  it  obliquely.  In  tbe  end 
the  Imperialist  left  wing  was  obliged  to  a  precipitate 
retreat,  in  which  they  set  fire  to  Podelwitz ;  but  this 
incident  did  not  in  the  least  prevent  the  forward 
advance  of  the  Swedes,  who  readily  passed  through  the 
burning  buildings.  About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later 
in  the  day,  Count  Furstenberg,  advancing  to  the  attack 
from  the  Imperial  right,  fell  upon  the  Saxon  army,  also 
without  the  order  of  his  superior,  and  after  a  short 
conflict  broke  them ;  and  Tilly,  thinking  the  moment 
favourable  to  complete  the  destruction  of  Arnheim,  de- 
scended from  the  hill  on  which  he  had  placed  himself, 
and  carried  forward  the  centre,  and  was  thus  tempted  to 
follow  the  Saxons  farther  than  a  good  commander  ought 
to  have  done.  But  not  content  with  this  advantage,  he 
fell  heavily  on  the  Swedish  division  of  Horn,  whose 
left  was  exposed  by  the  flight  of  the  Saxons,  but 
who  showed  him  a  very  spirited  resistance.  At  this 
opportune  moment  Gustavus  came  up,  and,  witnessing 
the  misbehaviour  and  defeat  of  the  Saxons,  sent  a  mes- 
sage to  Teufel  to  close  in  with  a  reinforcement  of  three 
regiments  to  the  aid  of  the  Saxons,  but  that  brave 
officer  was  struck  dead  by  a  musket-ball  just  as  he  was 
receiving  the  order.  The  King  therefore  took  his 
place,  and,  riding  up  to  lead  them,  cheered  them 
forward,  crying  aloud,  "  Vivat !  vivat ! "  The  enemy 
was  seen  to  relax  greatly  under  the  vigour  of  this 
attack.  At  the  same  moment  the  King  discovered, 
from  the  clouds  of  dust  that  annoyed  him,  that  some 
large  masses  of  troops  were  near  him ;  and,  asking 
those  around  him  what  they  were,  he  was  told  that 
they  were  Swedes.  But  as  he  could  not  understand 
how  that  could  be  in  his  order  of  battle,  he  galloped 
right  up  to  them,  and,  though  his  sight  was  rather 
imperfect,  he  quickly  returned,  and  rapidly  organized 
his  troops  to  receive  their  attack.  "  They  are  Im- 
perialists," he  said ;  "  I  see  the  Burgundian  cross  on 
their  ensigns."     It  was  said,  that  it  was  on  this  occa- 


172 


GUSTAVUS   AD0LPUU3. 


sion  that  the  two  Scottish  regiments,  under  Hepburn 
and  Monro3,  first  practised  firing  in  platoons,  Avhieh, 
from  being  unknown  hitherto,  amazed  and  annoyed  the 
enemy  to  such  a  degree  that,  although  they  were  the 
celebrated  Walloon  infantry,  under  the  valiant  Cronen- 
berg,  they  fell  off  in  haste.  It  was  now  some  minutes 
after  four  o'clock,  when  the  King,  having  no  longer  an 
enemy  to  oppose,  wheeled  rapidly  his  whole  right  whig 
to  the  left,  and  fell  with  all  his  might  upon  the  heights 
on  which  the  Imperialist  artillery  was  placed;  when, 
instantly  gaining  possession  of  the  guns,  he  ordered  the 
fire  of  their  own  cannon  to  be  turned  upon  the  enemy. 
Gustavus  then  ordered  forward  his  whole  centre  to  aid 
this  fortunate  incident,  and  the  play  of  the  guns,  and 
the  terrible  onset  of  the  Swedes,  just  at  the  fall  of  dusk, 
threw  the  whole  army  into  confusion,  when  the  hitherto 
unconquerable  Walloons,  now  reduced  to  600  men,  had 
nothing  left  them  but  to  retreat  from  the  field  under 
the  protection  of  the  darkness.  With  them  fled  the 
wreck  of  Tilly's  army,  and  the  victoiy  was  complete 4. 
Behaviour        Amidst  the  dead  and  the  wounded,  Gustavus  Adol- 

of  Gnsta-     p]lus  a£  once  threw  himself  down  on  his  knees,  and  the 

vus  after      «.•»••. 

his  victory.  nrst  J°J  of  his  success  gushed  forth  in  fervent  thanks- 
giving to  the  Almighty  Giver  of  victory.  Although  it 
was  six  o'clock,  he  ordered  his  cavalry  to  pursue  the 
enemy  through  the  midst  of  the  increasing  darkness, 
and  desired  that  the  alarm-bells  should  be  eveiy  where 
set  in  motion  to  notify  his  victory  to  all  the  neighbour- 
ing villages.  The  camp  of  the  enemy  was  found  stand- 
ing, and  there  he  encamped  with  his  army.  Almost  all 
the  baggage  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors,  in 
which  was  much  ill-acquired  plunder.  Indeed,  it  was 
said  that  there  was  hardly  a  soldier  among  the  killed 

3  In  this  battle  there  are  said  to  have  been  thirty  colonels,  fifty- 
two  lieutenant-colonels,  and  fourteen  majors,  all  Scotchmen,  of 
the  families  of  Leslies,  Ramsays,  Mackays,  and  Monros,  including, 
of  course,  the  classic  major  Dalgetty. 

1  Schiller. 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  173 

and  wounded  who  had  less  than  ten  ducats  in  his  pocket, 
or  concealed  within  his  girdle  or  saddle.  The  King 
directed  each  of  his  regiments  to  occupy  the  same 
ground  that  had  been  held  by  an  Imperial  regiment, 
and  to  possess  themselves  of  all  they  might  find  there  ; 
but  no  man  was  allowed  to  plunder  out  of  his  own  dis- 
trict, under  the  most  severe  military  pains  and  penalties. 
7000  of  the  enemy  lay  dead  on  the  field ;  and  5000 
prisoners,  with  all  the  Imperialist  artillery  and  100 
standards  and  cornets,  were  the  prize  of  the  victors. 
The  Elector  of  Brandenburg  had  quitted  the  army 
before  the  battle ;  and  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  who  had 
kept  out  of  it  while  it  raged,  joined  Gustavus  in  his 
camp  at  night.  The  King  welcomed  him  cordially, 
and  gave  him  all  the  credit  of  having  advised  the 
battle,  since  he  could  not  add  any  commendations  on 
the  conduct  of  the  Saxon  troops ;  and  the  Elector, 
charmed  with  his  reception,  in  his  enthusiasm  and  in 
the  first  transports  of  his  joy,  promised  to  Gustavus 
the  Koman  crown.  However,  His  Swedish  Majesty 
was  not  a  man  to  sit  down  in  a  day-dream  of  future 
greatness ;  for  it  was  his  principle  to  be  always  up 
and  stirring.  He  recommended  George  Frederick  to 
look  after  the  possession  of  Leipzig,  while  he  himself 
set  forward  with  his  army  for  Merseburg.  Both  places 
surrendered,  as  well  as  Halle ;  and,  as  the  Confederate 
army  required  repose,  and  the  enjoyment  of  their 
laurels,  he  rested  his  troops  in  their  camp  for  ten  days. 
Many  Protestant  Princes,  as  well  as  the  Elector  of 
Saxony,  now  joined  the  King  in  council ;  for  it  was 
necessary  to  concert  future  plans  of  operations.  The 
principal  Imperial  army  that  had  held  the  field  was 
now  totally  routed ;  and  Tilly  was  required  to  collect 
another  army  in  Lower  Saxony.  The  two  Electorates 
were  accordingly  free  from  any  enemy.  To  pursue 
Tilly  was  deemed  loss  of  time,  for  he  was,  at  all  events 
for  the  present,  quite  disabled.  Two  courses  were  there- 
fore open  to  the  Confederates,  who  agreed  after  some 


174 


OUSTAYUS   ADOLPIIUS. 


Gustavus 
takes  Er- 
furt and 
Marien- 
berg. 


discussion  to  adopt  both.  The  Elector  of  Saxony  was 
to  carry  his  army  by  Prague,  or  even  to  Vienna  itself, 
which  it  was  thought  might,  in  the  first  terror  of  sur- 
prise, open  its  gates.  Gustavus  had  no  great  expecta- 
tions that  Arnheim,  of  whose  military  talents  the  battle 
of  Leipzig  had  afforded  but  equivocal  proof,  would  suc- 
ceed in  this  bold  design ;  and  he  himself  considered 
that  more  solid  advantages  to  the  cause  might  be 
obtained  from  an  incursion  into  the  territories  of  the 
Princes  of  the  Catholic  League.  He  accordingly  chose 
the  alternative  for  himself  to  lead  his  victorious  army 
to  the  Rhine.  At  this  very  conjuncture  it  happened 
that  the  German  Princes  were  assembled  in  a  Diet  at 
Frankfort-on-the-Maine,  to  deliberate  upon  the  "  Edict 
of  Restitution ;"  and  the  King  thought  that  his  ap- 
pearance in  arms  might  attract  the  discontented  Princes 
to  his  side,  or  that  the  terror  of  his  approach  might 
paralyze  the  nerves  of  the  Imperial  power.  Here, 
in  the  centre  of  Germany,  or  upon  the  confines 
of  France,  he  might  cultivate  the  friendship  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Electors,  or  watch  the  movements  of 
a  rather  suspicious  ally,  whose  cordiality  amid  the 
shifting  phases  of  the  war  could  never  be  surely  pre- 
dicated. Cardinal  Richelieu  ever  weaved  a  web  that 
none  of  Ins  contemporaries  could  unravel.  The  Dukes 
of  Brunswick  and  Lunenburg,  as  well  as  the  Prince 
of  Anhalt,  readily  espoused  the  cause  of  the  King  of 
Sweden,  and  promised  their  influence,  and  to  contribute 
towards  the  expenses  of  the  war.  The  King  of  Poland 
and  the  King  of  Denmark,  whatever  might  be  their 
cordiality,  offered  their  incense  of  congratulation  to  the 
triumphant  hero.  The  King  sent  Chemnitz  into  the 
circle  of  Suabia,  to  sound  the  princes  in  those  parts, 
who  acquitted  himself  very  successfully  in  this  embassy, 
by  bringing  them  also  to  his  standard. 

Ten  days  after  the  battle  of  Leipzig  Gustavus 
reached  Erfurt,  where  the  magistrates  told  him  that 
His  Majesty  was  welcome,  but  begged  to  be  excused 


GIJSTAVTJS   ADOLPHTTS.  175 

admitting  a  garrison.  The  King's  reply  was,  "  that  it 
was  not  his  custom  to  call  strangers  to  be  his  guards, 
and  to  place  himself  in  a  situation  to  receive  laws  from 
other  men ;"  and  he  forthwith  ordered  Duke  "William 
of  Saxe  Weimar  to  take  possession  of  the  city.  He 
then  sent  back  to  the  camp  at  Werben  to  desire  his 
Queen  Eleonora  to  come  forward  as  far  as  this  city, 
while  he  himself  proceeded  to  the  reduction  of  Fran- 
conia.  The  Swedish  army  then  proceeded  to  cross  the 
Thuringian  forest  in  two  columnsby  Gotha  and  Arnstadt. 
The  difficulty  of  carrying  the  artillery  and  carriages 
through  this  dangerous  defile  was  sufficient  to  have 
dismayed  any  general  less  enterprising  than  Gustavus 
Adolphus.  Konigshofen  Schweinfurt,  and  soon  after- 
wards Wurzburg,  yielded  up  their  keys  to  him,  and  the 
Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  the  latter  place,  who  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  League,  hastened  to  get  out  of 
the  way  of  the  anger  of  the  Protestant  King.  The 
Bishop  of  Bamberg  promised  to  contribute  to  the  King 
the  same  contingent  he  paid  the  army  of  the  League ; 
but  as  soon  as  Tilly  came  again  upon  the  scene  he  fell 
away,  and  renounced  all  his  obligations.  The  Swedes 
were  obliged  to  carry  Marienberg  by  storm,  for  a  great 
part  of  the  wealth  of  the  diocese  was  here  deposited,  as 
well  as  the  money  which  the  Elector  of  Bavaria  had 
sent  to  Tilly  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  him  to  restore 
his  shattered  army.  The  city  was  easily  captured,  and 
corn  and  other  provisions,  with  great  store  of  wine, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Swedish  army.  Information 
was  given  to  the  commissaries  of  an  unexpected  hiding- 
place.  A  coffin  well  filled  with  ducats  was  about  to 
be  removed  into  safe  custody,  when  the  bottom  gave 
way  with  the  weight.  The  soldiers,  not  respecting  the 
King's  presence,  began  to  pick  these  up  as  they  rolled 
on  the  floor,  to  convert  them  to  their  own  use.  "  Oh, 
I  see  how  it  is,"  said  the  King ;  "  it  is  plain  they  must 
have  it :    let  the  rogues  convert  them  to  their  own 


17G  OTJSTAYTS    ADOLPTHTS. 

use ;"  for  he  saw  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  pre- 
vent it. 
The  Count       ^'liilo  Gustavus  ordered  Marienberg  to  be  invested, 
of  Hanau     Ti\\j,  who  had  by  this  time  collected  out  of  the  Pala- 
tavus.         tinate  a  new  army,  came  back  as  far  as  Fulda.      From 
his  camp  here  he  now  requested  the  Duke  of  Bavaria's 
permission  to  give   battle   to   Gustavus ;    but  as  the 
League  had  at  this  moment  no  second  army  to  fall 
back  upon  if  he  should  suffer  another  defeat,  Maxi- 
milian  therefore   was   too   cautious  to   risk    the    fate 
of  a  second  battle,  however  much  Tilly  might  burn 
with  impatience  to  wipe   out  the   stain  of  the  first. 
Commanded  therefore  to   avoid  a  battle,    Tilly    con- 
tented   himself   with    marching    round    to    save    the 
few  towns  that  had  yet  resisted  the  impetuosity  of 
the  Swedes.     The  King  took  scarcely  more  time  to 
conquer  Franconia  than  he  would   have  required  to 
cross  it.     He  therefore  now  left   Gustavus   Horn  to 
guard  his  conquests,  and  hastened  towards  the  Ehine 
with  his  whole  army.     Following  the  course  of  the 
Maine,  he  reduced  to  subjection,  in  the  course  of  his 
march,  Seligenstadt,  Aschaffenburg,  and  the  whole  ter- 
ritory on  both  sides  of  the  river.     The  Imperial  garri- 
sons seldom   awaited  his  approach  to  yield  up  their 
keys,   and  never  attempted  resistance.       One   of  his 
subordinates  was  fortunate  enough  to  capture  by  sur- 
prise the  town  and  citadel  of  Hanau,  for  whose  preser- 
vation Tilly  had  shown  great  anxiety,  for  he  knew  how 
lightly   Imperial  fidelity  sat   upon   its   prince.       The 
Count  of  Hanau  gladly  placed  himself  at  once  under 
the  orders  of  the  King  of  Sweden ;  and  he,  being  no 
inconsiderable  member  of  the  Protestant  Union,  made 
over  all  his  passes  and  fortresses  to  the  Confederate 
cause,  and  agreed  to  pay  a  contingent   of  £2500  a 
month  during  the  continuance  of  the  war,  and  to  recall 
all  his  retainers  then  serving  under  the  Emperor. 
Frankfort  Gustavus  now  turned  his  whole  attention  to  Frank- 

surrenders. 


GFSTAVTJ3    ADOLPHTTS.  177 

fort-on-the-Maine.  He  marched  forward  till  lie  reached 
Offenbach,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  free  city,  from 
whence  he  sent  the  Count  de  Solanes  to  negotiate  his 
admission.  Willingly  would  the  magistrates  have  dis- 
pensed with  the  necessity  of  choosing  between  the  King 
of  Sweden  and  the  Kaiser ;  for,  whatever  party  they 
might  embrace,  there  was  always  reason  to  apprehend 
injury  to  their  privileges  and  trade.  The  Imperial  ven- 
geance would  assuredly  fall  heavily  upon  them  if  they 
hastily  submitted  to  the  King  :  and  still  more  ruinous 
would  it  be  for  them  to  incur  the  displeasure  of  an  irre- 
sistible conqueror  at  their  very  gate.  They  therefore 
entreated  Gustavus  to  consider  their  legitimate  oaths  to 
the  Emperor,  and  to  leave  their  town  in  a  state  of  neu- 
trality, on  account  of  their  annual  fairs,  which  were 
the  chief  means  of  their  commercial  existence.  The 
King,  in  reply,  expressed  his  astonishment  that,  when 
the  liberties  of  Germany  were  at  stake,  and  the  Pro- 
testant religion  in  jeopardy,  they  should  convey  to  his 
ears  such  an  odious  sentiment  as  neutrality ;  and  that 
the  citizens  of  Frankfort  shoidd  talk  of  annual  fairs,  as 
if  they  regarded  all  things  merely  as  tradesmen  and 
merchants,  rather  than  as  men  of  the  world  with  a 
Christian  conscience.  He  added,  in  a  more  menacing 
tone,  "  that  he  had  found  the  keys  of  many  a  town  and 
fortress  from  the  Isle  of  Kugen  on  the  Baltic  to  the 
banks  of  the  Maine,  and  knew  well  where  to  find  a  key 
to  Frankfort."  The  inhabitants,  alarmed  at  his  threat, 
then  interceded  for  time  to  consult  the  Elector  of 
Mayence,  their  ecclesiastical  sovereign.  But  the  King 
answered  that,  being  himself  master  of  Aschaffenburg, 
there  was  no  other  Elector  of  Mayence  than  Gustavus, 
and  that  they  must  rely  upon  his  power  for  plenary 
absolution.  "  The  inhabitants,"  he  said,  "  might  desire 
only  to  stretch  out  their  little  finger  to  him,  but  he 
would  be  content  with  nothing  but  the  whole  hand, 
that  he  might  have  sufficient  to  grasp."  When  the 
deputies  retired  from  his  presence  with  this  answer,  he 

N 


17s 


.,1   vH\  I   S     AUDI. I'll  I   8. 


Gustavus 
lays  siege 
to  May- 
ence,  and 
compels 
Tilly  to 
raise  the 
Biege  of 
Nurem- 
berg. 


put  liis  whole  army  in  motion  and  followed  them  in 
older  of  battle  to  Saxcnhausen,  a  pleasing  and  elegant 
suburb  of  the  city  ;  and  here  the  magistrates  succumbed 
to  him,  and,  after  taking  an  oath  of  fidelity,  they  opened 
their  gates  to  the  Swedes.  It  had  been  an  ancient 
saying  in  Germany,  "  that  he  who  possesses  Frankfort 
a  year  and  a  day  is  master  of  the  empire."  The  King, 
therefore,  deemed  it  politic  to  make  a  public  and  solemn 
entry  into  the  free  city.  The  army  marched  in  admi- 
rable order,  with  him  in  front  of  it  riding  on  horseback, 
having  his  head  uncovered,  to  show  his  respect  to  the 
Imperial  city,  preceded  by  fifty-six  pieces  of  artillery, 
out  of  respect  to  his  army.  The  entire  body  of  troops 
did  not  number  less  than  14,000  men.  The  magistracy 
conducted  him  to  the  Imperial  palace  of  Braunfels, 
where  he  sat  down  to  a  grand  dinner,  in  the  famous 
hall  in  which  the  Emperor  banquets  at  his  coronation. 
His  manner  was  most  courteous  and  affable,  but  he 
hated  flattery ;  and  when  some  of  the  burghers  affected 
extreme  submission,  and  spoke  in  a  style  of  idle  com- 
pliment, he  would  desire  them  to  reserve  that  sort  of 
discourse  for  Her  Majesty  and  her  maids  of  honour. 
His  own  beautiful  Queen  Eleonora,  whom  he  had  left 
at  the  camp  at  Werben,  and  who  had  since  passed 
much  tedious  time  at  Berlin  and  Erfurt,  while  Gus- 
tavus was  in  the  midst  of  danger  and  the  battle-field, 
now  came  up  to  share  her  husband's  triumph  at  Frank- 
fort ;  and,  in  her  delight  at  seeing  her  hero  safe  again, 
threw  her  arms  around  him,  while  she  exclaimed, 
"  Now  is  Gustavus  the  Great  become  my  prisoner !" 

But  while  the  Swedish  King  was  thus  extending  his 
conquests,  fortune  was  also  seconding  the  efforts  of  his 
generals  and  allies  in  other  parts  of  Germany.  The 
Landgrave  William  of  Hesse  Cassel,  whose  victorious 
arms  had  struck  with  terror  the  greater  part  of  West- 
phalia and  Lower  Saxony,  and  who  had  forcibly  taken 
possession  of  the  Palatinate,  the  Bishopric  of  Fulda, 
and  the  Electorate  of  Cologne,  now  brought  up  all  the 


GUSTATrS    ADOLPHFS.  170 

troops  he  could  spare,  about  6000  foot  and  3000  horse, 
to  assist  Gustavus  in  his  contemplated  design  of  pass- 
ing across  the  Rhine.  On  the  very  day  of  his  entry 
into  Frankfort  the  King  invested  the  strong  town  of 
Hoechst,  which  surrendered  to  him  the  next  day.  His 
Majesty  then  marched  directly  to  Mayence  ;  and,  having 
made  himself  master  of  all  the  boats  upon  the  Khine 
and  Maine,  he  prepared  at  Hoechst  the  means  of  carry- 
ing his  troops  across  the  former  river,  while  he  took 
steps  to  get  possession  of  the  electoral  capital.  Bishop 
Anselm  Casimir  was,  of  course,  an  important  member 
of  the  League,  and  a  devoted  partisan  of  the  Emperor  ; 
but  he  was  a  Prince  of  energy  and  foresight,  and,  sen- 
sible that  he  could  expect  little  mercy  from  the  Kino-, 
he  had  ordered  the  fortifications  of  the  city  to  be  re- 
paired with  all  diligence,  and  received  as  a  garrison 
2000  Spaniards,  under  Don  Philip  de  Sylvan  ;  then 
carrying  off  all  his  most  precious  effects,  he  emitted 
Mayence  to  visit  his  brother  at  Cologne.  These  vigor- 
ous preparations  to  sustain  a  siege  did  not,  however, 
prevent  the  King  from  undertaking  it.  The  city  was 
invested  in  the  midst  of  as  severe  a  winter  as  had  ever 
been  known.  One  body  of  troops  poured  into  the 
Rheingau,  from  whence  they  expelled  what  Spanish 
troops  they  found  there :  the  main  army  encamped  at 
Cassel ;  and  Gustavus  was  taking  active  measures  to 
blockade  the  town  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Rhine, 
when  he  received  intelligence  that  Nuremberg  was 
hard  pressed  by  Tilly.  The  Imperial  General  had  sat 
down  before  that  place  especially  to  draw  Gustavus 
away  from  the  Rhine  ;  and,  lest  he  should  expose  him- 
self a  second  time  to  the  reproaches  of  Germany  for 
abandoning  a  confederate  city  to  a  ferocious  enemy, 
Gustavus  resolved  to  hasten  to  its  relief  by  forced 
marches.  The  inhabitants  had,  however,  raised  a  little 
army  for  its  relief,  of  which  they  had  given  the  com- 
mand to  the  Count  de  Solmes,  as  Governor  on  behalf 
of  the  King ;    and  these  had  made   so   spirited  a  re- 

N  2 


180  GTJSTATUS   ADOLPIIUS. 

sistancc,  that  Tilly  was  compelled  to  draw  off  his  army 
to  place  them  in  winter-quarters  :  on  hearing  which 
tin1  King  did  not  lose  a  moment  in  stopping  the  march 
of  his  troops,  and  prosecuting  his  designs  against 
Mayence.  While  then  he  advanced  his  approaches  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine,  the  Landgrave  moved  for- 
ward his  on  the  right.  The  besieged  Spaniards,  though 
hemmed  in  on  both  sides,  displayed  at  first  a  bold 
determination  to  resist.  But,  nevertheless,  the  Swedes 
continually  gained  ground,  and  had  at  last  advanced  so 
close  to  the  ditch  that  they  were  preparing  to  storm 
the  place.  To  save  the  town  from  all  the  horrors  of  an 
assault,  and  the  known  spirit  of  retaliation  for  the 
carnage  of  Magdeburg,  which  was  rife  in  every  Pro- 
testant bosom,  the  Spanish  garrison  capitulated  on  the 
fourth  day,  and  obtained  favourable  terms  from  the 
magnanimity  of  Gustavus s. 
Gustavua  Next  day,  which  was  the  14th  of  December,  on 
holds  jus  which  the  King  completed  his  thirty-seventh  year,  His 
at  May-  Majesty  made  his  entry  into  the  conquered  town  in 
ence :  his  great  pomp,  and  fixed  his  quarters  in  the  palace  of 
oTforeigii  the  Elector :  and  on  the  Friday  ensuing  he  ordered  a 
princes  and  further  service  of  thanksgiving  for  his  success  in  the 
ambassa-  Roman  Catholic  cathedral.  Great  stores  of  provision 
were  found  in  Mayence,  besides  80  pieces  of  artillery, 
and  GOO  quintals  of  gunpowder.  The  citizens  were 
required  to  pay  80,000  florins  (about  £8000)  for  the 
redemption  of  their  property  from  pillage,  by  the  capi- 
tulation. The  library  of  the  Elector  was  seized  by  the 
King  as  his  personal  share,  and  bestowed  on  Oxen- 
stierna,  who  intended  it  for  one  of  the  Swedish  universi- 
ties ;  but  it  was  unfortunately  lost  in  crossing  the  Baltic. 
The  King  had  protracted  the  campaign  into  the  depth 
of  winter  ;  and  the  severity  of  the  season  was,  perhaps, 
one  cause  why  the  Swedish  soldiers  so  speedily  tired 
out  those  of  Spain.  But  the  exhausted  troops  now 
stood  in  need  of  the  repose  of  winter-quarters,  which 

s  Schiller. 


OTTSTAVUS  ADOLPnua.  181 

were  accordingly  assigned  to  them  in  the  pleasant 
vicinity  of  Mayence.  The  Queen  arrived  at  the  palace 
on  the  10th  of  January,  and  Gustavus  now  for  the 
first  time  in  his  career  opened  all  the  splendour  of  a 
magnificent  court,  which  was  rendered  more  brilliant 
by  the  presence  of  five  German  princes,  who  came  to 
confer  with  him ;  and  twelve  or  thirteen  foreign  Am- 
bassadors, who  came,  all  of  them  entrusted  with  trans- 
actions of  great  importance,  to  treat  with  him.  Among 
the  first  was  the  unfortunate  King  of  Bohemia ;  and 
among  the  last  the  English  ministers,  Sir  Eobert 
Anstruther  and  Sir  Harry  Vane,  who  came  to  bring  the 
little  aid  that  they  were  likely  to  render  on  behalf  of 
England,  for  that  unhappy  monarch's  restoration  to 
his  dominions.  The  King  showed  him  the  unpro- 
fitable honour  of  greeting  him  as  a  crowned  head, 
and  endeavoured  by  his  generous  sympathy  to  soften 
the  sense  of  his  misfortunes  ;  but  nothing  more  could 
be  obtained  from  the  influential  mediation  of  the  con- 
queror. The  inactivity  and  contradictoiy  politics  of 
the  English  Court  had  rendered  Sweden  cold  towards 
its  representations,  and  had  forfeited  the  esteem  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus  in  the  affairs  of  the  discrowned 
Frederick.  The  King  had,  however,  other  business  of 
equal  or  greater  importance  to  settle  in  this  interval 
of  rest  with  his  Chancellor  on  home  affairs,  and  with 
the  Ambassadors  in  treaty  for  the  neutrality  of  some 
of  his  enemies,  and  for  adjusting  political  disputes  with 
his  allies. 

Amongst  others  who  were  at  Mayence  at  this  June-  LouisXIH. 

ture   was    the   Marquis    de   Breze,   brother-in-law   off.     ,  " 

1  lieu  become 

Richelieu,    and   Ambassador  Extraordinary   from   the  jealous 
French  King.     Louis  XIII.  had  been  alarmed,  in  the  of  tlie     . 
depth  of  his  bigotry,  by  the  insinuations  of  the  Catholic  flut,nce  0f 
princes  of  the  Empire,  that  Gustavus  had  determined  Gustavus. 
on  the  extirpation  of  the   Romish  Religion.     France 
had,  indeed,  many  reasons  for  endeavouring  to  check 
the  progress  of  Gustavus.     It  was  one  thing  to  see 


182 


<;i  MA\  l  S     ADOUMII 


the  Emperor  humbled,  but  it  was  quite  another  to  see 
him  destroyed.  Now  the  passage  of  the  Rhine,  of 
which  France  was  jealous  beyond  measure,  was  consi- 
dered a  symptom  of  very  ambitious  pretensions  on  the 
part  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  at  which  even  Richelieu 
grew  alarmed ;  and  from  this  time  he  conceived  not 
only  a  disinclination  to  the  Swedish  cause,  but  a  mortal 
jealousy  of  their  King.  "Means  must  be  devised,"  he 
said,  "  to  check  this  impetuous  Visigoth,  since  his  suc- 
cesses will  be  as  fatal  to  France  as  to  the  Emperor." 
France  was  at  this  very  moment  involved  in  a  civil 
war  with  her  own  Protestant  subjects ;  and  the  fear 
was  not  altogether  groundless,  that  the  approach  of  a 
victorious  Monarch  of  their  party  might  revive  the 
drooping  spirit  of  the  remonstrant  Huguenots,  and 
encourage  them  to  a  more  determined  resistance. 
LouisXIII.  It  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  unravel  all  the 
^vatc*  *  mtr*»ues  °f  tne  great  Cardinal,  which  De  Breze  was 
conference  directed  to  carry  out ;  but  Gustavus  was  not  at  all 
with  Gus-  pleased  at  Richelieu's  duplicity ;  and,  mistrusting  it, 
signified  to  Louis  XIII. ,  that  he  desired  a  private 
conference  with  His  Majesty.  The  French  King, 
naturally  timid,  trembled  at  the  thought  of  meeting 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  who  talked  several  languages, 
and  whose  remarkable  genius  had  made  him  as 
formidable  in  the  cabinet  as  in  the  field.  De  Breze 
tried  to  persuade  the  Swedish  King  to  content  himself 
with  a  conference  with  the  Cardinal.  But  Gustavus 
replied,  with  hauteur,  "  All  Kings  are  equal.  My  pre- 
decessors have  never  given  place  to  the  Kings  of 
France.  If  your  master  thinks  fit  to  despatch  the  Car- 
dinal half-way,  I  will  send  some  of  my  people  to  treat 
with  him  so  far  ;  but  I  will  admit  of  no  superiority." 
The  endeavours  on  the  part  of  the  diplomatists  to  bring 
about  a  general  truce  betwixt  the  Protestants  and 
Catholics  having  failed,  an  armistice  for  fourteen  days 
was  proposed  to  the  King,  to  which  he  consented.  But 
Pappenheim  paid  no  attention  to  the  cessation  of  arms, 


GUSTATUS    ADOLPHrS.  183 

and  the  Spaniards,  equally  unmindful  of  it,  crossed  the 

Moselle,  and  entered  the  Palatinate.    Tilly  was  allowed 

by  the  Sovereign  Duke  to  take  possession  of  the  Castle 

of  Neuburg  ;  and  an  intercepted  letter  from  the  Elector 

Maximilian  to  Pappenheim  advised  the  King  that  that 

artful  prince  was  employing  the  leisure  thus  afforded 

him  in  preparing  the  most  determined  dispositions  for 

resistance. 

About  the  beginning  of  February,  the  King  and  Gustavus 

Queen  quitted  Mayence,  and  returned  to   Frankfort.  !!? 

^  u  -i        •        -i  •     •  Queen  re- 

Gustavus  had  evinced  a  great  partiality  for  the  elec-  turn  to 

toral  city  as  a  residence,  and  had  added  considerably  to  Frankfort, 
the  strength  of  its  fortifications.  He  had  caused  a  new 
citadel  to  be  erected  at  the  confluence  of  the  Rhine  and 
the  Maine,  which  was  called  at  the  first  "  Gustavus- 
burg,"  but  which  was  subsequently  known  by  the 
name  of  "  Pfaffenraube,"  or  "  Pfaffenzeug  "  (priest- 
plunder),  in  allusion  to  the  means  derived  for  its  con- 
struction. There  was  also  erected  on  a  spot  not  far 
from  Mayence  a  lion  of  marble  on  a  high  pillar,  holding 
a  naked  sword  in  his  paw,  and  having  a  helmet  on  his 
head,  to  mark  the  spot  where  the  great  "  Lion  of  the 
North  "  crossed  the  great  river  of  Germany. 

Pending    the    negotiations    above    mentioned,    the  Capture  of 
King's    generals   had  been  continually  engaged  with      "T1*2', 
the  Spanish  troops,  who  had  advanced  to  the  Rhine ;  xibn. 
and  by  the  middle  of  February  His  Majesty  himself 
opened  the  campaign  with  the  siege  of  Kreutznach,  in 
the  Palatinate— one  of  the  strongest  castles  in  point  of 
situation  to  be  found  in  Germany.     The  strength  of 
the  fort  greatly  surprised  Gustavus  when  he  contem- 
plated it,  and  he  very  anxiously  reconnoitred  it.     At 
length,  bavins'  resolved  on  his  mode  of  attack,  he  re- 
turned  to  his  army  with  the  cheerful  remark,  "  Now,  I 
will  be  master  of  yonder  castle  by  five  o'clock  to-morrow 
evening."     He  determined  to  proceed  by  mines,  which 
opened  a  small  but  very   deep  entrance  in  the  walls, 
which  were  difficult  of  ascent.     A  general  storm  was 


184  (iUSTAVTTS    ADOLPUUS. 

nevertheless  ordered,  and  volunteers  were  called  for 
the  assault,  among  whom  were  several  English.  The 
young  Lord  Craven,  Lieut. -Colonel  Talhot,  and  Mr. 
Markam  led  the  van,  under  the  immediate  eye  of  the 
King.  In  the  first  attempt  they  were  repulsed,  and 
Gustavus  lost  his  temper  ;  hut  going  up  to  Lord  Craven 
he  patted  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  hid  him  return  to  the 
attack,  which  the  young  lord  did  unhesitatingly,  though 
he  received  a  severe  wound ;  Talhot  was  killed  next 
to  him,  and  Sir  Francis  Vane,  brother  to  the  Earl  of 
Westmoreland,  and  Markam  were  also  severely  wounded. 
The  place,  however,  was  taken  ;  and  Alexander  Eamsay, 
and  subsequently  George  Douglas,  both  gallant  Scotch- 
men, were  constituted  governors.  About  the  same  time, 
the  important  town  of  Ulm  was  taken  ;  and  Sir  Patrick 
Ruthven0,  another  Scot,  was  appointed  governor  of 
that  town.  These  North  Britons  were  always  greatly 
in  the  affection  and  confidence  of  Gustavus  Adolphus. 
Gustavus         The   Chancellor   Oxenstierna  was  now  left  with  a 

invades  _      division  of  the  army  to  protect  the  Swedish  conquests 
h  riiiicoiiiti  *  .  ■*■ 

the  siege  of  a^out  the  Middle  Rhine,  and  the  King  himself  began 

Donau-        his  march  against  the  enemy  in  Franconia  on  the  4th 

March,  1632.     The  forces  about  to  take  part  in  the 

new  campaign  were  upon  a  grander  scale  than  former^. 

Gustavus  and  his  allies   had  100,000   infantry,    and 


6  Gustavus  on  several  occasions  testified  to  the  supreme  neces- 
sity of  officers  in  command  of  troops  having  the  full  possession  of 
their  energies ;  and  His  Majesty  never  liked  to  have  any  general 
on  service  turned  of  sixty  years  of  age.  Sir  Patrick  Ruthven,  of 
whom  much  is  recorded  in  this  biography,  had  now  arrived  at  that 
age,  and  he  made  him  Governor  of  Ulm,  to  show  how  highly  the 
King  valued  him ;  hut  the  post  was  a  reputable  sinecure.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  at  last  our  military  authorities  will  keep  the  places 
of  trust  at  home  and  abroad,  that  do  not  require  active  habits, 
for  the  deserving  aged,  and  never  give  to  the  young  the  places 
of  ease  which  ought  to  be  left  for  the  rewards  of  the  veteran. 
The  energy  of  the  young  man  is  especially  required  for  the  field  ; 
the  experience  of  the  old  officer  is  best  suited  to  garrisons  and 
home  service. 


werth. 


GUSTAVITS   ADOLPHUS.  185 

40,000  cavalry  under  arms ;  and  the  Catholic  League 
were  preparing  to  bring  into  the  field  a  much  larger 
number  of  forces.    In  spite  of  winter  torrents  and  miry 
roads,  the  King   reached  Aschaffenburg,    near   which 
place  he  united  himself  with  Gustavus  Horn,  Duke 
William  of  Saxe  Weimar,  and  Baner  ;  and  with  respect 
to  this  force,  which  was  greater  in  strength  than  the 
army  under  Tilly,  the  Bavarian  General  awaited  his 
Sovereign's  orders,  as  to  whether  he  should  bar  the 
march  of  the  Swedes  into  Bohemia,  or  into  Bavaria. 
Maximilian  directed  him  to  cover  at  all  hazards  the 
frontiers  of  his  Electorate  with  his  army  ;  and  on  this 
resolution  the  King's  choice  depended.  Donauwerth  was 
a  place  of  first  consequence  to  his  future  movements, 
because  it  has  always  been  deemed  the  key  of  admission 
between  Suabia   and  Bavaria.       Tilly  had    employed 
himself  in  increasing  its  works  of  defence ;  and  it  was 
at  this  time  garrisoned  by  1200  men,  under  the  Duke 
of  Saxe   Lauenberg.       To  the  surprise  both  of   the 
general  and  governor,  the  King  set  himself  down  before 
it.     The  Governor  on  being  summoned  replied,  "  that 
the  King  knew  better  than  any  man  the  duty  of  those 
who  had  nothing  to  rely  on  but  honour  and  the  sword, 
and  therefore  he  could  pay  him  no  tribute  except  in 
gunpowder."     On  this,  Gustavus  raised  his  batteries 
and  directed  his  storming  parties,  when  Saxe  Lauen- 
berg resolved  to  attempt  an  escape,  which  he  accom- 
plished with  the  loss  of  500  men ;  and  in  forty-eight 
hours  the  town  was  taken  and  occupied.     By  the  cap- 
ture of  Donauwerth,  which  secured  a  free  passage  over 
the   Danube,  Tilly  perceived  His  Swedish   Majesty's 
real  intentions   to   be   against  Bavaria ;    accordingly, 
with  all  possible  expedition,  he  broke  down  the  bridge 
that  crosses  that  river  between  Neuburg  and  Bain,  and 
also  destroyed  all  the  bridges  over  the  Lech ;  for  that 
small  river  now  alone  separated  the  Swedes  from  Ba- 
varia. Maximilian,  therefore,  concerted  with  his  General 
in  what  manner  he  could  most  effectually  prevent  the 


ISO  01  STATUS    ADOLlMIl  3 

King  from  entering  his  Electorate.  Tilly,  foreseeing 
probably  where  His  Majesty  would  make  the  grand 
attempt,  cantoned  his  army  in  lesser  and  greater 
divisions  all  along  the  Bavarian  side  of  the  Lech  and 
the  Aach,  from  Rain  to  Augsburg,  which  last  town  he 
secured  by  a  strong  and  trustworthy  garrison.  There 
are  few  rivers  of  the  size  whose  passage  is  so  difficult 
as  that  of  the  Lech.  lb  is  a  stream  that  takes  its  rise  in 
the  mountains  of  the  Grisons  ;  and  already,  in  the  month 
of  April,  the  snows  melting  near  its  source  render  the 
current  more  of  the  nature  of  a  torrent  than  an  ordinary 
river.  It  is  about  forty  yards  wide  between  Rain  and 
Thierhaupten,  and  the  bank,  on  what  may  be  for  the 
moment  termed  the  Swedish  side,  is  about  eleven  feet 
higher  than  the  opposite  bank,  where  the  ground  is 
for  the  most  pai't  a  morass,  knee-deep,  or  covered  with 
thick  beds  of  osiers. 

Gustavus,  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  river,  carefully 
reconnoitred  its  approaches  with  the  officers  of  his 
staff;  and,  seeing  how  "the  old  corporal"  (as  His 
Majesty  was  pleased  to  designate  his  antagonist)  had 
erected  his  batteries,  his  advisers,  who  were  for  the 
most  part  men  grown  grey  in  war,  did  not  hesitate  to 
counsel  caution  ;  because,  from  the  torrent-like  rapidity 
of  the  stream,  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  lay  pontoon 
bridges  with  any  prospect  of  success.  "  What,"  re- 
plied the  King  to  Gustavus  Horn,  who  spoke  for  the 
rest  of  the  generals,  "  have  we  crossed  the  Baltic,  and 
so  many  great  rivers  of  Germany,  and  shall  we  now  be 
stopped  by  a  brook  like  the  Lech  !"  Gustavus  felt  that 
now  was  the  opportunity  to  display  his  genius  and  the 
resources  that  he  had  acquired  in  the  practice  of  war. 
The  two  first  difficulties  he  had  to  encounter  were — the 
sort  of  bridge  that  would  stand  the  current,  and  the 
illusions  he  could  employ  to  conceal  the  laying  of  it  from 
the  view  of  his  enemy.  He  caused  a  set  of  strong  trestles 
to  be  prepared  of  various  heights,  and  with  unequal  feet, 
that  might  stand  on  the  very  uneven  bottom  of  the 


GtTSTAVUS    ADOLPHL'S.  187 

river,  and  he  had  strong  piles  driven  down  to  secure 
them  in  their  places.  The  planks  that  were  then  laid 
from  the  one  to  the  other  were  well  and  strongly- 
fastened  with  nails.  He  fixed  the  spot  for  placing  this 
intended  bridge  where  the  Lech  makes  an  inward  curve, 
which  afforded  him,  on  his  side  of  the  river,  the  means 
of  bringing  a  cross  fire  to  bear  upon  the  opposite  bank. 
Here  he  set  his  men  to  work  to  raise  batteries,  in  which 
his  great  artillerist,  General  Leonard  Torstenson,  most 
judiciously  placed  seventy -two  field  guns  ;  and  from 
these  he  furiously  thundered  on  the  Bavarian  camp 
without  intermission  during  the  whole  time  that  he 
was  constructing  his  bridge.  Tilly's  camp  was  placed 
beyond  a  little  rivulet,  where  the  ground  rose  to  a 
moderate  hill,  covered  with  shrubs  and  thorn-trees,  on 
which  the  troops  stood  with  their  artillery  in  position 
somewhat  concealed  by  a  wood.  About  1000  mus- 
keteers lined  the  Swedish  bank  of  the  river,  who  at  the 
same  time  prevented  any  Imperial  troops  from  creeping 
down  to  reconnoitre ;  and  to  prevent  such  as  might  do 
so  from  seeing  any  thing.  Little  fires  were  kindled  in 
pits,  which  were  constantly  fed  with  smoky  com- 
bustibles, with  pitch  and  green  wood,  and,  while  this 
concealed  the  workmen  from  sight,  the  thunder  of  the 
guns  drowned  the  noise  of  the  axes  and  hammers,  &c. 

Thursday  morning,  April  the  5th,  while  the  cannon-  Capture  of 
balls   tore   every  thing  to  pieces  within    150   yards'  Dona"- 
distance,  and  the  dark  twilight  added  to  the  gloom  of  Tilly  se- 
the  atmosphere,  the  King  himself  sent  across  the  river  verely 
some  picked  engineers,  pioneers,  and  soldiers,  who,  as  W 
soon   as  they  had  made  a  lodgment,  threw  up  with 
great    expedition  a   breastwork  ;  then  all  hands  were 
set  to  work  to  fix  the  bridge  in  its  place ;  so  that  when 
the  morning  was  pretty  well  advanced,  Tilly  beheld  the 
passage  already  effected.     To  dislodge  these  intruders 
was  next  to  impossible,  on  account  of  the  unceasing  fire 
of  the  Swedish  batteries,  which  the  Bavarian  guns  for 
some  hours  endeavoured  in  vain  to  silence.     The  King. 


188  OTTSTAYTTS    ADOLPHUS. 

in  person,  continued  to  stand  at  the  foot  of  the  bridge, 
while  this  cannonade  lasted  for  thirty-six  hours  ;  during 
which  time  Charles  Gustavus  Wrangel  was  passed  across 
the  bridge,  to  support  those  who  were  already  on  the  out- 
work. Before  this,  Tilly  had  directed  Aldringer  to  pass 
between  the  osier-bed  and  the  stream,  at  the  head  of  a 
body  of  cavalry,  with  orders  to  endeavour  to  drive  away 
the  Swedes,  and  to  get  possession  of  the  head  of  the 
bridge  if  possible.  These  Imperialists  penetrated  thus 
far,  and  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  seize  the  bridge ; 
but  the  musketeers  who  had  been  placed  on  the  Swedish 
bank  to  protect  the  construction  of  the  bridge  were 
posted  there,  and  opened  such  continual  fire,  that  the 
Imperialists  were  broken  and  crushed,  and  a  second 
attempt  brought  the  brave  Aldringer  to  the  ground 
with  a  mortal  wound  in  the  head.  Tilly  heard  with 
dismay  of  the  death  of  his  friend,  and  went  down  to 
the  river  bank  to  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to  replace 
liim,  and  to  encourage  his  troops.  It  was  in  the  act 
of  leading  a  regiment  forward  with  the  colours  in  his 
hand,  that  Tilly  himself  received  a  stroke  on  the  knee 
from  a  falconet-ball,  which  shattered  the  bone,  and  he 
fell  to  the  ground,  swooning  away  several  times  from 
the  agony  of  the  fracture.  Deprived  of  the  leading  of 
their  aged  General,  the  troops  relaxed  their  efforts,  and, 
to  augment  the  general  consternation  that  ensued,  two 
considerable  bodies  of  Finland  horse — bold,  daring 
fellows — breasted  the  stream  in  several  places,  and 
partly  by  swimming  their  horses,  and  partly  by  ford- 
ing, while  many  succumbed  in  the  effort,  came  like 
men  possessed  upon  the  Bavarians,  who  gave  way 
on  every  side.  The  King,  knowing  nothing  of  Tilly's 
misfortune,  remained  at  the  bridge  foot,  and  contented 
himself  towards  evening  with  marching  over  it  at  the 
head  of  his  guards,  and  passing  the  night  on  the 
Bavarian  side  of  the  Lech.  Next  morning  word  was 
brought  His  Majesty  that  there  was  reason  to  think 
the    enemy    were    gone  j    and    accordingly    he    sent 


GUSTAYTTS   ADOLPnUS.  1S9 

Hepburn  with  some  infantry  to  obtain  information. 
Two  prisoners,  horse  videttes,  were  taken,  and  were 
brought  in  to  the  King,  who  immediately  ordered 
the  troops  to  pursue  the  fugitive  army  to  the  walls  of 
Rain,  and  to  storm  that  town  sword  in  hand  if  they 
should  be  resisted.  It  was  at  this  moment  that  His 
Majesty  was  first  informed  that  Tilly  was  desperately, 
if  not  mortally,  wounded. 

Bavaria  now  lay  exposed  to  the  victor ;  but  before  Augsburg- 
he  proceeded  to  its  occupation  and  conquest  he  resolved  t^the '  ^ 
to  secure  Augsburg,  Rain,  Thierhausen,  and  Triedberg.  Swedish 
Accordingly,  despatching  Horn  after  Tilly's  army,  he  arms* 
shaped  his  own  course  to  the  first-named  city,  which  was 
rendered  illustrious  in  the  King's  Protestant  views  by 
its  famous  "  Confession,"  and  which  he  regarded  with 
especial  veneration  as  the  place  "  from  whence  the  law 
first  proceeded  from  Sion."  It  is  situated  on  the  Lech, 
about  ten  miles  from  Donauwerth,  and  was  at  this  time 
garrisoned  by  4500  Imperialist  troops,  under  Colonel 
Breda.  Torstenson  immediately  raised  his  batteries, 
and  gave  new  proofs  of  his  uncommon  skill  in  the 
management  of  his  artillery.  But  the  sight  of  the 
havoc  which  its  fire  made  upon  the  fine  edifices  of 
Augsburg  grieved  the  King ;  and  he  forthwith  opened 
a  communication  with  the  Governor,  to  which,  after 
some  negotiation,  that  officer  submitted,  and  yielded 
up  the  town.  On  entering  Augsburg,  Gustavus  walked 
direct  to  St.  Agnes'  Church,  where  the  Lutheran  service 
was  performed  with  great  decency  ;  and  Fabricius,  the 
King's  Chaplain,  delivered  a  sermon  on  the  text : — 
"  Now  for  the  comfortless  troubles'  sake  of  the  needy, 
and  because  of  the  deep  sighing  of  the  poor,  I  will  up, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  will  help  every  one  that  swelleth 
against  him,  and  will  set  him  at  rest." 

Gustavus  deemed  that  the  possession  of  Ratisbon  Gustavus 
and  Ingoldstadt  was  essential  to  his  obtaining  a  firm  ^2  8ie£? 
footing  in  the  valley  of  the  Danube,  from  whence  he  stadt,butis 
might  invade  Bavaria.     But  Tilly,  with  his  parting  obliged  to 


190  ..I  STATUS    iDOLPHUS. 

raise  it.  breath,  had  enjoined  the  Elector  to  spare  no  precautions 
Death  of  for  tjK,  preservation  of  both  these  places  ;  and  the  routed 
army  had  retired  expressly  to  cover  them.  And  indeed 
the  defeated  General  still  lingered  from  his  wounds 
within  the  walls  of  Ingoldstadt.  This  town  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  strongest  places  in  the  Empire,  and 
was  one  of  those  fortresses  which  warriors  call  Pucelle, 
from  its  having  never  yielded  up  its  virtue.  The  King 
hoped  to  gain  the  place  by  the  vigour  of  his  first 
assault,  and  by  the  aid  of  Torstenson's  formidable 
batteries,  which  were  speedily  erected  and  armed,  and 
were  already  prepared  to  open,  when  Gustavus,  on  his 
flea-bitten  charger,  approaching  near  the  walls  to  make 
his  observations  (for  his  cool  courage  and  short  eye- 
sightedness  rendered  this  habitual  with  him),  was 
suddenly  hit  by  a  round  shot,  which  struck  the  mare 
in  the  flank,  and  rolled  him  over  two  or  three  times. 
With  perfect  self-possession  the  King,  when  raised 
from  the  ground  by  his  staff,  quieted  the  fears  of  his 
troops  by  immediately  mounting  another  horse,  and 
riding  along  their  ranks.  When  he  returned  to  his 
tent  in  the  evening,  his  generals  all  collected  around 
him  to  urge  him  to  take  more  care  of  a  life  so  valuable 
to  the  cause.  But  he  told  them,  "  that  he  had  a  foolish 
sort  of  a  fancy,  which  always  tempted  him  to  imagine 
that  he  could  see  better  for  himself  than  others  did," 
and  "  that  his  sense  of  God's  providence  gave  him  the 
firm  assurance  that  He  had  other  assistance  in  store  for 
so  just  a  cause  than  the  precarious  existence  of  one 
Gustavus  Adolphus."  His  Majesty  employed  eight 
days  in  beleaguering  Ingoldstadt,  which,  in  respect 
to  any  of  the  sieges  he  had  assisted  in,  was  unusually 
tedious  service.  He  had,  however,  never  invested  the 
place ;  for  on  one  side  of  it  the  whole  Bavarian  army, 
under  Maximilian,  was  in  position.  The  King  made  a 
wild  attempt  to  get  into  a  ravelin,  which  he  himself 
superintended  ;  and  then  suddenly  he  raised  the  siege  \ 
i  As  soon  as  the  siege  was  raised,  the  inhabitants  dug  up  the 


GUSTAVUS    ADOT/PHUS.  191 

and  collecting  his  army,  hastened  with  great  despatch 
towards  Munich.  While  the  siege  was  in  progress, 
Tilly  expired.  The  news  reached  the  King,  who,  as 
was  known,  disliked  him  much  on  account  of  the  atro- 
cities he  exercised  at  Magdeburg ;  and  had  never  for- 
gotten that  he  had  on  one  occasion  offended  his  dignity 
by  addressing  a  remonstrance  on  some  application  to 
him  by  the  style  of  Cavalier,  instead  of  King.  Yet  on 
this  occasion  the  generosity  of  his  nature  assumed  the 
ascendant.  He  no  longer  spoke  of  the  "  Old  Walloon," 
and  the  "  Old  Corporal,"  but  exclaimed, — "  Alas  !  then 
the  honourable  old  Tilly  is  now  no  more." 

The  approach  of  the  great  Protestant  hero  spread  Capture  of 

dismav  in  a  country  where  a  man  who  did  not  believe  Munich. 
t»        i  i  Gustavus 

in  the  Pope  s  supremacy  was  a  most  unheard-of  phe-  establishes 

nomenon.  The  leader  of  a  host  combined  against  tlie  King  pf 
Rome  was  in  their  eyes  an  antichrist,  and  the  army  tue  Ejec_ 
the  brood  of  Satan.  Woe  to  the  unhappy  Swedish  tor'spalace. 
soldier  who  fell  into  their  hands  !  All  the  horrors  that 
inventive  hatred  could  devise  were  exercised  upon  the 
victims,  and  the  highways  were  already  strewn  with 
then'  mangled  bodies.  Gustavus  could  scarcely  re- 
strain his  army  from  some  fearful  retaliation  for 
these  atrocities ;  but  he  would  not  sully  the  lustre 
of  his  chivalrous  character  by  a  single  act  of  revenge. 
The  Bavarian  capital  was  now  open,  stripped  of  all  its 
defenders,  and  of  its  principal  inhabitants  ;  but  when 
they  sent  to  implore  the  King's  clemency,  he  answered, 
"  that  if  the  magistracy  submitted  readily,  and  with  a 
good  grace,  care  should  be  taken  that  no  man  should 
suffer  with  respect  to  life,  liberty,  or  religion."  He 
contented  himself  with  a  single  act  of  triumph — that 
of  making  a  public  entry  into  Munich,  in  company 
with  the  King  of  Bohemia,  whom  he  placed  with  much 
pomp  in  the  palace  of  the  very  Prince  who  had  been 

King's  palfrey,  which  they  found  buried  near  his  tent,  and  having 
carefully  stuffed  it,  deposited  it,  as  a  trophy,  in  the  arsenal  of 
Ingoldstadt,  where  it  still  remains. 


192 


OrSTATrS   ADOLPnUS. 


Singular 
discovery 
of  hidden 
treasure. 


the  chief  instrument  of  his  ruin8.  Having  taken  up 
his  residence,  with  Frederick,  in  the  electoral  palace,  he 
ordered  the  Protestant  service  to  be  performed  in  the 
Popish  chapel  of  that  edifice,  and  a  sermon  to  be 
preached  in  it  by  his  Chaplain.  The  palace  was  a  very 
handsome  structure,  adorned  with  pictures  by  the  great 
Flemish  and  Italian  masters.  "When  his  officers  would 
have  persuaded  His  Majesty  to  plunder  or  destroy  these 
treasures  of  art,  he  replied,  "  Let  us  not  imitate  our 
ancestors,  the  Goths  and  Vandals,  who  destroyed  every 


thing 


belonging   to  the  fine  arts  by  their  excesses 


which  has  left  our  nation  a  proverb  and  a  by-word  of 
contempt  with  posterity  for  acts  of  this  wanton  bar- 
barity." The  dethroned  King's  palace  at  Heidelberg 
had  indeed  been  shamefully  rifled  of  all  its  treasures ; 
but  no  retaliatory  plunder  was  committed  by  Frederick, 
who  did  not  touch  a  single  cabinet,  bronze,  or  picture. 
We  may  remember  that  our  Charles  I.,  in  his  cor- 
respondence with  the  Swedish  Chancellor,  had  an  eye 
to  obtaining  a  tithe  of  these  fine  things  ;  but  the  stern 
morality  of  Gustavus,  and  the  nobleness  of  his  temper, 
would  not  permit  him  to  use  the  opportunity  of  un- 
dignified thieving.  Perhaps  he  might  have  laid  his 
hand  upon  some  of  the  secreted  manuscripts,  which 
Maximilian  had  filched  from  the  library  at  Heidelberg; 
but  if  he  had  found  them,  he  would  have  restored  them 
to  Frederick. 

It  was  a  cause  of  much  surprise  to  the  King,  to 
observe  that  in  the  Electoral  arsenal  there  were  many 
cannon  carriages,  but  no  guns ;  and  yet  it  had  been 
spoken  of  as  the  best  supplied  arsenal  of  any  in  Ger- 
many. At  length,  on  some  information  obtained  from 
a  workman,  he  set  himself  (as  he  said)  "  to  unbury  the 
dead."     The  pavement  was  broken  up  at  a  spot  where 

8  One  single  act  of  bad  taste  is  said  to  have  accompanied  this 
public  ovation  : — a  monkey,  with  a  shaven  crown,  and  in  a  capu- 
chin's dress,  with  a  rosary  in  his  paws,  accompanied  the  procession. 
This  was  almost  too  paltry  a  revenge  to  be  insulting. 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  193 

no  marks  of  concealment  were  visible,  and  there  140 
pieces  of  cannon  were   discovered !      "  Eise  up   from 
the   dead,    and  come  to  judgment,"    said  Gustavus ; 
but  when  they  were    examined,  one  that  was    called 
"the  Sow,"  was  found  to  have  within  it  a  cartridge 
that   contained  15,000  golden  ducats,  which  the  King 
immediately  placed  in  his  military  chest.    Abundance  of 
regimentals  was  also  discovered,  with  which  he  clothed 
the  larger  part  of  his  army.    The  plate,  jewels,  and  other 
valuables,  which  the  Bavarian  family  had  unscrupu- 
lously acquired  in  the  exactions  of  twelve  years  from 
half  the  Protestant  princes  of  Germany,  could  not  be 
discovered ;   and  it  was  believed  that  they  had  been 
removed  to  Salzburg,  whither  the  Queen  of  Bavaria 
had  retired  with  Duke  Albert,  her  brother.     Gustavus 
appointed   his    Scotch   friend   Hepburn    Governor   of 
Munich,   while  he   himself  went  forth  to  pursue  his 
perilous  but   glorious    career   against   his  enemies  in 
arms. 

But  while   Gustavus  Adolphus  is  yet  enjoying  his 
triumph  at  Munich,  we  may  relate  an  anecdote  that 
exemplifies  the  slight  infirmity  of  temper  which  at  times 
cast  its  shade   upon   the   magnanimity    of  our  hero. 
There  never  yet  was  one  of  the  sort,  naval  or  military, 
who  has  not  been  occasionally  subject,  when  in  com- 
mand, to  a  hasty  outbreak   or   two.     He    once    apo- 
logized for  it  to  his   generals,  and  told  them  "that 
they  must  bear  with  his    infirmities,    as   he   had   to 
bear   with   theirs."      One   Douglas,  a  Scot,  who  had 
transported    a    company    of    Scottish     infantry     into 
Sweden  in  the  year   1623,  had  been   for  his  bravery 
and  good  conduct  advanced  to  be  a  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
On  one    occasion   he   was   induced   in    a   thoughtless 
moment  to  address  a  memorial  to  the  King,  in  which 
were  some  unguarded  expressions  that  provoked  Gus- 
tavus to  place  him  under  arrest ;  but   afterwards  he 
released    him    without    question.     Douglas    went   to 
Oxenstierna,  protesting   he   had  received  an    affront, 

o 


19-4 


OUSTAVLS    ABOLPH1  9 

which  lie  would  not  bear  from  any  one  whatever, 
and,  on  his  failing  to  get  redress  from  the  Chan- 
cellor, he  made  his  way  to  the  King  himself.  Hear- 
ing that  His  Majesty  was  in  a  public  tennis-court 
playing  a  game  with  the  King  of  Bohemia,  he  abruptly 
presented  himself  before  him,  without  notice  or  per- 
mission, solicited  or  granted.  Gustavus,  indignant  at 
this  want  of  respect  and  good  breeding,  said,  "  "\\  by, 
sir,  are  you  not  at  your  post  of  command  ?  "  "  Sire," 
was  the  reply,  "  I  have  none."  "None?  who  then  is 
Governor  of  Kreutznach  ?  "  "I  have  resigned  the 
post."  "  Resigned  !  who  has  permitted  you  to  resign 
it  ?  "  At  once  understanding  the  subterfuge,  he  turned 
to  his  staff  and  said,  "  Let  this  officer  be  committed  to 
prison."  On  the  16th  of  May,  just  as  the  King  was 
proceeding  to  his  carriage  to  quit  Munich,  Harry  Yane, 
the  British  Ambassador,  met  His  Majesty  in  the  great 
saloon  of  the  palace,  and  asked  for  the  release  of 
Douglas.  "  By  heaven  !  "  replied  the  King,  "  if  you 
speak  another  syllable  on  the  subject  of  that  man,  I  will 
order  him  to  be  hanged."  "  I  hope  your  Majesty  will 
never  commit  such  an  action."  "  And  why  so  ?  " 
"  Your  Majesty  may  say  at  Munich  what  you  please, 
but  will  never  persist  in  such  an  opinion  after  mature 
reflection."  "  Bo  not  tempt  me  into  a  passion  !  The 
man  sought  to  quit  my  service  after  I  had  released 
him  from  arrest ;  which  was  not  only  an  affront,  but  a 
contravention  of  my  military  edicts.  I  now  release 
him  on  your  parole,  but  vail  not  be  affronted  a  second 
time."  "  Adieu,  sire."  "  By  heavens,  the  fellow  is  a 
rascal,  and  I  do  not  choose  to  be  served  by  such  sort 
of  animals."  "  May  it  please  your  Majesty,  I  have 
always  understood  that  the  subjects  of  the  King  my 
master  have  rendered  you  the  most  excellent  and 
faithful  services."  "Yes,  I  acknowledge  the  people 
of  your  nation  have  served  me  well,  and  far  better  than 
any  others.  But  this  dog,  concerning  whom  we  are 
talking,  has  affronted  me,  and  I  am  resolved  to  chas- 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS.  195 

tise  him."  Gustavus  then  reflected,  and  after  a  short 
delay  added,  "  Sir,  I  request  you  not  to  take  ex- 
ception at  what  has  dropped  from  me:  it  was  the 
effect  of  a  warm  and  hasty  temper.  I  am  now  cool 
again,  and  beseech  you  to  pardon  me9." 

Another  anecdote  is  recorded  of  the  King  regarding 
likewise  a  Scotch  officer,  whom  Gustavus  had  offended  by 
giving  him  a  slap  in  the  face.  Colonel  Seton  demanded 
his  instant  dismission  from  the  King's  service,  and  ob- 
tained it.  But  he  had  not  gone  far  on  his  way  towards 
Denmark,  when  His  Majesty  followed  him  on  horse- 
back, and  overtook  him.  "  Seton,"  he  said,  "  I  see 
you  are  greatly  offended  with  me ;  and  I  am  sorry  for 
what  I  did  in  haste.  I  have  a  high  regard  for  you,  and 
have  followed  you  expressly  to  offer  you  all  the  satisfac- 
tion due  to  a  brother  officer.  Here  are  two  swords,  and 
two  pistols  ;  choose  which  weapon  you  please,  and  you 
shall  avenge  yourself  against  me."  It  is  hardly  neces- 
sary to  add,  that  Seton  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  the 
King,  declared  his  attachment  and  devotion  to  him, 
and  accompanied  Gustavus  back  to  the  army.  These 
quarrels  with  his  Scotch  followers  were,  indeed,  not 
unfrequent.  Even  Hepburn  had  at  one  time  nearly 
quitted  the  King's  service,  and  haughtily  declared  to 
him,  "  that  he  would  never  more  unsheath  his  sword 
in  the  Swedish  quarrel."  But  the  attractive  monarch 
knew  "  that  when  he  chose,  he  could  whistle  him 
back;"  and  we  have  seen,  he  was  not  only  still  in  the 
service,  but  at  this  very  moment  Governor  of  Munich. 

While  the  King  was  in  Bavaria,  his  old  rival  and 
kinsman  Sigismund  died  of  apoplexy,  and  as  the  throne 
of  Poland  was  always  a  subject  of  contention,  there 
was  some  uncertainty  whether  the  son  Uladislaus  would 
succeed  his  father,  and  some  doubted  whether  Gus- 
tavus might  not  have  had  an  eye  to  the  succession 
himself ;  but  His  Swedish  Majesty  had  now  obtained  a 
view  of  much  higher  prizes  of  fortune  than  a  Polish 

9  Harte. 
O  2 


19G  GTTSTAYUS    ADOLPHUS. 

crown,  so  that  the  son  was  elected  a  few  months  after 
the  death  of  Sigismund  without  opposition.  In  one 
of  the  affairs  that  now  took  place  with  the  Impe- 
rialists, Leonard  Torstenson,  the  famous  artillerist,  Avas 
taken  prisoner  by  some  Croatians ;  hut  "Wallenstein, 
who  had  attained  the  summit  of  his  generosity  and 
magnificence,  paid  the  ransom  to  the  captors  out  of 
his  own  purse,  and  restored  this  much -valued  officer  to 
Gustavus  without  delay,  who  accepted  the  compliment, 
but,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  had  no  great  love  for 
the  donor. 

Gustavus  had  thus  far  advanced  from  victory  to  vic- 
tory— an  uninterrupted  career  of  concpiest  had  con- 
ducted him  to  the  very  threshold  of  the  Emperor's 
hereditary  dominions.  "  The  deceitful  goddess"  had, 
it  is  thought,  already  whispered  in  his  ears  that  Caesar's 
crown  was  elective,  and  if  he  had  not  succeeded  to  his 
wish  in  establishing  a  Confederacy  amongst  the  Pro- 
testant States,  he  had,  at  least,  weakened  and  shat- 
tered the  Catholic  League.  He  had  carried  on  the  war 
chiefly  at  its  expense,  and  had  diminished,  in  conse- 
quence, the  resources  of  the  Emperor,  while  he  had 
emboldened  the  weaker  States,  and  gained  the  friend- 
ship of  the  free  cities.  By  the  success  of  his  arms, 
and  the  prestige  of  his  name,  he  had  driven  the 
Spaniards  out  of  the  Lower  Palatinate,  and  provided 
for  them  work  enough  to  occupy  them  in  the  dis- 
tant Netherlands  war,  so  as  not  to  leave  them  at 
liberty  to  interfere  again  in  the  affairs  of  Germany. 
The  possession  of  a  part  of  Bavaria  and  Suabia  and 
of  the  Archbishopric  of  Mayence  effectually  covered  his 
rear  in  a  military  point  of  view;  and  the  Duke  of 
Lorraine  had  been  driven  to  adopt  a  neutrality.  Even 
the  numerous  garrisons  he  had  been  obliged  to  leave 
behind  him  had  not  diminished  the  amount  of  his  dis- 
posable forces,  for  with  every  success  he  had  drawn 
fresh  numbers  to  his  standard  from  the  ranks  of  his 
adversary.     Without  one  enemy  able  to  cope  with  him 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  197 

in  front,  and  in  the  occupation  of  the  entire  west  of 
Germany,  he  now  stood  in  the  capital  of  Bavaria, 
determined  and  prepared  to  carry  the  war  against  the 
Kaiser  himself10.  The  successes  of  Gustavus  naturally 
enough  threw  Ferdinand  into  the  utmost  consterna- 
tion. The  Emperor  hegan  to  lower  his  tone,  and 
was  even  willing  to  bestow  the  appellation  of  King  on 
Gustavus,  which  he  had  always  refused  to  do  until  he 
now  trembled  for  his  capital.  Tilly's  death  had  de- 
prived him  of  his  best  general ;  for  Wallenstein,  dis- 
missed and  disgraced,  was  yet  at  his  estates  in  Mo- 
ravia ;  but  thoughts  were  already  entertained  of  re- 
storing the  discarded  General,  who  appeared  not  un- 
willing to  be  won.  It  has  been  thought  that  Gustavus 
Adolphus  at  Munich  wasted  his  time,  like  Hannibal 
at  Capua,  when  he  might  have  heralded  his  victorious 
army  to  "  Eome."  But  it  is  probable  that  the  King 
had  well  reflected  that  although  he  might  succeed  in 
effecting  a  raid  upon  the  Imperial  capital,  he  could 
not,  under  the  circumstances  of  his  position,  make 
himself  yet  awhile  master  of  the  Empire.  For, 
although  the  army  of  the  King  of  Saxony  occupied 
Bohemia,  and  thus  could  advance  with  his  own  army 
left  in  front,  yet  the  hereditary  estates  were  vast,  and 
few  were  at  all  in  the  hands  of  the  Protestant  Union 
now,  and  the  dying  injunction  of  Tilly  would  still  leave 
Maximilian  in  his  rear  a  clieval  upon  the  Danube  in 
a  position  of  the  greatest  peril  against  even  a  victorious 
army,  if  it  should  meet  with  the  slightest  reverse. 

The  intelligence  of  the  marvellous  success  of  Gus-  Wallen- 
tavus  Adolphus  had  of  course  reached  the  ears  of  Wal-  s*"n  ™?kes 
lenstein,  who  contemplated  from  a  calm  distance  the  proposals 
brightening  sky  of  his  greatness  and  his  fortunes  as  a  to  Gusta- 
necessary  consequence.     He  considered  that  it  was,  in 
fact,  for  him  that  the  King  of  Sweden  was  labouring, 
for  his  success  gave  him  power  to  hope  again  ;  accord- 
ingly he  despatched  the  banished  Count  Thurn,  who 

10  Schiller. 


198  m  btavtts  adolpiu  s. 

had  long  since  entered  the  service  of  Sweden,  to  convey 
the  congratulations  of  the  Duke  of  Friedland  to  the 
King,   and  to  invite  His  Majesty  to  a  close  alliance 
with  him.     He  undertook,  in  concert  with  the  Swedes, 
to  conquer  Bohemia  and  Moravia,  to  surprise  Vienna, 
and  to   drive   the  Emperor  out  of  Germany.       Such 
extravagant  promises,  as  they  appeared  to  Gustavus, 
excited  his  suspicions  ;  and  the  prudent  monarch  hesi- 
tated to  trust  his  reputation  to  the  chimerical  projects 
of  such  a  daring  adventurer,  who  felt  no   shame  in 
openly  avowing  himself  a  traitor.     The  King  therefore 
declined   the    offer   of  the    greatest    of  the    Imperial 
Generals,  perhaps  from  an  excess  of  caution,  and  such 
an  opportunity  was  lost   as   might   have  availed   for 
putting  a  speedy  end  to  the  war.     The  assistance  that 
might  have  heen  given  by  Wallenstein  to  Gustavus 
Adolphus  was  now  transferred  to  the  Emperor  Ferdi- 
nand.      The  rumour  soon   spread  that  the  Duke  of 
Friedland  had   after   much   difficult   persuasion  been 
won  over  by  Ferdinand,  and  was  actively  engaged  in 
raising  levies ;  that  he  had  already  occupied  Prague ;  and 
indeed,  on  the  25th  of  June,  the  Imperial  General  had 
overrun  Bohemia  and  driven  Arnheim,  with  his  Saxons, 
out  of  that  kingdom,  whence,  after  some  delays,  he 
returned   to  join   Maximilian    near   Batisbon.       The 
combined  Imperial  and  Bavarian  armies  in  face  of  the 
King  already  amounted  to  nearly  60,000  men,  chiefly 
veterans. 
Gustavus         Before  this  force  Gustavus  was  not  in  a  condition 
takes  up  a  fc0  keep  the  field.     The  position  of  the  army  between 
sitioifat°'   the  frontiers  of  Saxony   and  Bavaria  left  it  for  some 
Nurem-       time  doubtful  whether  the  Imperialists  would  remove 
e'  the  war  into  the  former  Electorate,  or  would  endeavour 

to  drive  the  Swedes  from  the  Danube,  and  deliver 
Bavaria.  The  question  for  Gustavus  was  now,  how 
best  to  provide  for  his  own  security  ;  for  the  approach 
of  the  enemy  had  surprised  him  before  he  had  concen- 
trated his  troops,  which  were  scattered  all  over  Ger- 


GTJSTAYUS   ADOLPIIUS.  199 

many.     The  prize  was  now  no  longer  supremacy,  but 
existence.    His  fertile  genius  was  therefore  called  upon 
to  concentrate  all  his  means  upon  preservation,  and  to 
withdraw  his  mind  from  conquest.     Too  weak  to  meet 
the  enemy  in  the  field,  he  had  no  choice  left  hut  to 
withdraw  out  of  Bavaria,  and  to  form  an  intrenched 
camp  near  Donauwerth  or  Nuremberg.     He  chose  the 
latter,  and  having  recalled  his  troops  from  the  pursuit 
of   Ossa,    the    Imperial    Commissary    (newly   created 
General),  who  had  been  driven  to  the  very  foot  of  the 
Alps,  the  King,  on  the  17th  of  June,  joined  Duke  Bern- 
hard  of  Saxe  Weimar  at  Furth,  near  to  Nuremberg. 
Measures   were   immediately   taken   to    surround   the 
town   and   suburbs   with   redoubts.     One-half  of  the 
Swedish  army  performed  the  duty  of  pioneers  day  by 
day  alternately,  assisted  by  a  considerable  number  of 
peasants  as  well  as  citizens.     A  ditch  of  circumvalla- 
tion,  twelve  feet  wide  and  eight  feet  deep,  surrounded 
a  space  estimated  at  219  square  acres  in  extent.     Ad- 
vantage was   taken    of  the  river  Pegnitz  to   prepare 
inundations    and  batteries,   bastions,  half-rnoons,    and 
every  species    of  epaulement,    and   these   works  were 
armed  with  300  pieces  of  cannon.     The  troops  were  at 
the  same  time  scattered  in  every  direction  to  collect 
food  and  forage,  with  which  to  form  extensive  maga- 
zines, and  with  such  wonderful  activity  was  this  carried 
on,  that  in  a  fortnight  the  great  work  was  completed, 
for  Gustavus  had  from  other  quarters  called  in  to  his 
assistance  the  divisions  of  the  Duke  William  of  Saxe 
Weimar  and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel,  and  had 
ordered  his  generals  on  the  Rhine,  in  Thuringia,  and 
Lower  Saxony,  to  commence  their  march  towards  the 
camp  forthwith ;  moreover,  Oxenstierna,  always  atten- 
tive as  to  the  King's  position  and  wants,  was  already  on 
his  march  towards  Nuremberg  with  Swedish  reinforce- 
ments.     The  King's  army,  however,  already  encamped 
within  his  lines  did  not  exceed  10,000  men — scarcely 
a  third  of  the  force  of  the  enemy. 


200 


GUSTATUS    ADOLPHUS. 


Wallen-  The  Imperialists  had  in  the  mean  time  advanced  by 

stt'ni  de-  sjQW  marches  to  Neumarkt,  where  Wallenstein  indulged 
attack  the  in  a  general  review  of  the  formidable  force  he  was  lead- 
Swedish  ing  Up  against  the  great  Protestant  hero.  At  sight  of 
this  fine  army,  and  with  something  of  the  neighing  of 
the  old  war-horse,  he  exclaimed,  "  In  four  days  it  shall 
be  shown  whether  I  or  the  King  of  Sweden  is  to  be 
master  of  the  world."  As  soon,  however,  as  he  came  up 
to  the  Swedish  intrenchments,  and  had  carefully  recon- 
noitred the  position,  he  changed  the  resolution  he  had 
formed  on  the  road  to  assault  them  ;  and,  to  the  dis- 
gust of  his  associate,  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  he  said, 
"  Battles  enough  have  been  fought ;  it  is  now  time  to 
try  some  other  method."  Maximilian,  who  hated  the 
man  and  his  presumptuous  vanity,  pressed  him  earnestly 
to  force  the  Swedish  lines  sword  in  hand.  "  Sir,"  said 
Wallenstein,  with  a  provoking  air  of  phlegm  and  rude- 
ness, "commence  the  attack  with  your  whole  army, 
and  I  will  support  you  with  all  my  forces."  This  great 
General's  well-founded  reputation  did  not  require  any  of 
those  rash  expedients  which  very  commonly  infest  the 
judgment  of  the  weak  and  presumptuous,  and  Wallen- 
stein abjured  enterprises  that  men  of  mere  brute  courage 
might  adopt  in  default  of  knowing  any  better  expedient 
to  give  them  a  hope  of  gaining  a  name.  He  was  satisfied 
that  such  troops  as  the  Swedes,  when  judiciously  posted, 
would  sell  dearly  any  victory  that  might  be  snatched 
from  them ;  and,  in  the  present  condition  of  affairs,  a 
defeat  must  irretrievably  ruin  the  Catholic  cause.  He 
therefore  "  tried  another  method  " — the  campaign  of 
starving,  and  trusted  to  wear  out  the  ardour  of  his  royal 
opponent  by  a  tedious  blockade.  Accordingly,  the  Im- 
perialist General  began  coolly  to  trace  out  a  camp  almost 
within  sight  of  the  King,  and  not  above  three  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  Swedish  intrenchments.  By  the  position 
that  he  selected  for  his  camp,  he  cut  off"  from  the  city 
and  camp  of  Gustavus  all  supplies  out  of  Franconia, 
Suabia,  and  Thuringia.    The  Imperial  position  covered 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  20] 

a  very  large  extent  of  ground ;  but  its  trace  was  very- 
slight  and  unsubstantial,  consisting  only  of  a  small  ditch, 
protected  by  interlaced  trees  and  branches,  intermixed 
with  gabions,  fascines,  and  barricades  of  various  kinds. 
Wallenstein,  though  a  valiant  soldier,  was  not  regarded 
as  "  a  notable  spade-man,"  and  was  neither  a  great 
engineer  nor  an  artilleryman ;  but  he  was  a  wonderful 
commissary  and  purveyor.  Store-bread  was  the  stand- 
ing diet  of  a  soldier  in  those  times,  and  this  necessary 
of  life  could  only  be  obtained,  from  a  district  so  occupied 
by  entire  armies,  by  somewhat  rash  enterprises,  sword  in 
hand,  for  in  the  surrounding  countiy  the  foraging  parties 
required  a  numerous  escort ;  so  that  there  were  sharp 
skirmishes  every  hour  of  the  day  between  the  Croats  and 
the  Swedish  horse,  to  "pick  up  the  crumbs;"  and,  as 
the  peasantry  had  for  the  most  part  fled  away  with  all 
their  property,  the  supply  soon  failed  altogether.  Under 
these  circumstances  provisions  and  ammunition  had  to 
be  obtained  by  the  Imperial  army  from  Vienna  and 
Munich,  by  way  of  Ratisbon.  A  large  convoy  out  of 
Bavaria  had  been  signalled  as  being  in  march  about  the 
20th  of  July,  and  a  regiment  of  Swedish  cavalry  was 
sent  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  night  to  look  out 
for  it.  It  was  opportunely  met  and  encountered.  The 
Imperial  escort  was  cut  to  pieces  ;  1000  waggons,  laden 
with  bread,  were  set  on  fire,  and  12,000  cattle  were 
carried  off.  In  returning  from  this  "  raid,"  the  Swedish 
cavalry  met  seven  Imperial  regiments  moving  down  to 
Altdorf  in  expectation  of  the  convoy ;  and  these  were 
set  upon  and  driven  back  to  Wallenstein's  camp,  with 
the  loss  of  400  men. 

The  two  armies  lay  thus  gazing  on  each  other  for  Gustavus_ 
eight  weeks,  merely  amusing  themselves  from  time  to  sca«;ered 
time  with  camisados '  and  ambuscades  and  skirmishes,  forces. 

1  Camisado  is  a  word  that,  having  found  its  way  into  the 
English  dictionary,  has  been  long  out  of  use.  It  would  seem 
to  designate  more  particularly  a  surprise  by  night,  being  derived 
from  camisa,  a  shirt. 


202  GUSTAVUS    ADOLPUTJS. 

But  on  both  sides  infectious  diseases,  the  natural  con- 
sequence of  bad  or  insufficient  food,  and  the  muddy 
waters  of  the  Pegnitz,  which  supplied  both  camps, 
occasioned  as  great  a  loss  as  many  a  battle.  At  length, 
on  the  17th  of  August,  the  King  had  notice  of  the 
approach  of  the  four  little  armies  that  he  had  ordered 
to  reinforce  him.  He  despatched  couriers  to  the  several 
generals,  having  subjoined  to  each  letter  a  plan  of  their 
respective  routes,  strictly  enjoining  vigilance  and  pre- 
caution, lest  an  attempt  should  be  made  by  the  Impe- 
rialists to  prevent  their  junction.  This  was  at  length 
effected  satisfactorily  on  the  21st  of  August,  when  Gus- 
tavus  galloped  out  of  his  camp  to  Hcrtzog-Aurach, 
where  he  paid  them  a  visit,  and  the  same  day  led 
triumphantly  within  his  intrenchments  50,000  hardy 
veterans,  all  eager  to  come  to  blows  with  Wallenstein's 
mercenaries.  The  first  habitual  act  of  the  King  on  the 
success  of  any  of  his  dispositions  was  to  set  apart  a 
day  of  thanksgiving  and  prayer,  and  his  next  step  was 
to  pay  his  soldiers  all  arrears.  Both  these  duties  were 
executed  with  a  regularity  that  was  characteristic  of 
this  hero. 
General  ac-       Gustavus  now  saw  himself  at  the  head  of  70,000  sol- 

tion  be-       tHers,  without  reckoning  the  Nuremberg  militia.      But 

tween  Ous- 

tavus  and    Wallenstein  also  had  received  reinforcements ;  so  that 

Wallen-  at  least  120,000  men  confronted  each  other,  with 
tenbers  50,000  horse,  on  the  banks  of  the  small  river  of  the 
Pegnitz.  If,  before  the  arrival  of  these  reinforcements, 
a  want  of  provisions  and  much  disease  prevailed,  the  evil 
was  fearfully  increased  in  both  camps  after  the  junction. 
And  these  distresses,  together  with  his  numerical  supe- 
riority, at  length  determined  the  King  to  take  the 
initiative,  and  to  march  out  of  his  own  lines  to  attack 
Wallenstein,  in  order  to  force  him  to  raise  his  camp. 
It  was  on  the  22nd  of  August  that  the  Swedish  army 
marched  up  to  the  enemy,  and  thundered  with  three 
vast  batteries  of  cannon  upon  the  Imperial  intrench- 
ments.    Wallenstein  responded  to  this  cannonade  with 


GUSTAYUS   ADOLPHTJS.  203 

an  equal  fire ;  and  this  bombardment  was  undertaken, 
discontinued,  and  resumed  for  two  days.  The  Elector, 
and  the  superior  officers  of  the  army,  endeavoured  by 
remonstrance,  and  even  ridicule,  to  rouse  the  Duke  of 
Friedland  to  force  on  a  battle ;  but  he  remained  im- 
movable, resolved  to  test  the  King's  patience,  and,  if 
possible,  to  tire  out  His  Majesty  by  his  inactivity.  At 
length,  on  the  25th,  the  increasing  distress  affected  the 
discipline  and  order  of  the  Swedish  camp  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  Gustavus  resolved  to  storm  his  adversary's 
stronghold.  Entrusting  the  defence  of  his  camp  to  the 
militia  of  Nuremberg,  he  crossed  the  Rednitz  below 
Furth,  easily  driving  the  Imperialist  outposts  before 
him,  and  advanced  against  the  steep  heights  on  which 
was  situated  the  old  Castle  of  Altenberg.  Here  Wal- 
lenstein  had  with  much  art  immured  himself  behind 
a  threefold  barrier  of  abattis  and  other  obstacles.  The 
ascent  was  steep  and  craggy,  and  the  forest  of  Alten- 
berg, which  was  in  the  rear  of  the  chateau,  was  spread 
around  over  the  hollows  and  inequalities  of  the  ground. 
The  King  advanced,  sword  in  hand,  at  the  head  of  the 
attacking  party,  directing  in  person  the  order  of  the 
attack.  His  object  was  to  gain  the  summit  of  the 
mountain — a  task  difficult  by  nature,  but  rendered 
much  more  so  by  the  intervention  of  art  and  the  forest. 
The  conflict  lasted  for  ten  hours  without  intermission, 
when,  as  the  day  began  to  decline,  His  Majesty,  who 
never  left  the  front  during  the  whole  time,  plainly  per- 
ceived that  the  slaughter  would  end  in  no  success : 
maintaining  therefore  the  musketeers  in  front,  he  with- 
drew the  rest  of  his  army  by  succession  of  divisions  to 
the  plains  below.  One  thousand  mangled  bodies  covered 
the  field,  many  of  which  could  not  be  removed.  Both 
Wallenstein  and  Duke  Bernhard  had  horses  killed  under 
them,  and  the  King  had  the  sole  of  his  boot  carried  off 
by  a  cannon-ball,  without  injury  to  himself  or  his  horse. 
The  combat  was  continued  with  undiminished  obstinacy  > 
till  at  length  night  put  an  end  to  the  conflict. 


201  GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS. 

It  is  related  that,  when  at  the  close  of  the  day  the 
King  found  that  every  Swedish  regiment  had  been 
engaged,  and  that  he  had  none  in  reserve,  he  appealed 
to  the  attachment  of  the  Scotch  contingent,  who  still 
served  in  his  army,  under  Colonel  Hepburn.  It  appears, 
as  has  been  related,  that  a  few  days  previously  some  sharp 
discussion  had  taken  place  between  him  and  the  King, 
when  the  contingent  declared,  one  and  all,  that  they 
would  never  more  unsheath  their  swords  in  the  King's 
quarrels,  after  his  ungrateful  conduct  to  them.  But 
now  appealed  to  by  Gustavus  in  a  moment  of  extreme 
danger,  the  whole  regiment  obeyed  their  leader's  sum- 
mons, and  with  great  gallantry  and  resolution  covered 
the  retreat  of  the  army.  But  having  done  so,  Hep- 
burn respectfully  informed  the  King  that  he  and  his 
men  adhered  to  their  resolution  to  quit  His  Majesty's 
service ;  and  they  must  have  done  so,  for  at  the  battle 
of  Lutzen  neither  the  Marquis  of  Hamilton  nor  any  of 
the  British  volunteers  will  be  found  to  have  been 
present  in  the  ranks  of  the  Confederate  army. 

The  King  passed  a  wet,  cold,  and  tedious  night ; 
but  His  Majesty's  first  thoughts  in  the  morning  were 
for  the  commanded  musketeers,  who  had  been  left  be- 
hind to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  army,  and  who  were 
still  lying  in  the  front  in  face  of  Altenberg  Castle. 
Duke  William  of  Weimar  undertook  to  bring  them  off; 
but  Gustavus,  impatient  under  their  possible  sacrifice, 
resolved  to  see  the  deed  done  with  his  own  eyes ;  and, 
following  a  regiment,  he  took  the  partisan  courteously 
out  of  a  colonel's  hands,  and,  performing  the  duty  of  a 
regimental  officer,  brought  back  his  men  with  composure 
and  resolution.  Upon  some  one  remarking,  that  this 
act  was  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  crowned  head,  he 
replied,  "  It  has  ever  been  a  maxim  with  me,  that  no 
duty  compatible  with  the  honour  of  a  simple  officer 
misbecomes  the  greatest  commander." 
(iustavus  For  nearly  a  fortnight  after  this  affair  at  Altenberg 

resolves  to   the  two  armies  continued  to  confront  each  other :  each 


GTJSTAVTJS   ADOLPHUS.  205 

in  the  hope  that  the  other  would  be  the  first  to  give  defend  Nu- 
way.  But  as  scarcity  continued  and  increased,  so  did  ?fm7,erF 
the  excesses  of  the  soldiery,  insomuch  that  all  discipline  extremity, 
and  order  were  broken  up,  to  the  great  grief  of  Gus- 
tavus.  The  best  generals,  as  well  as  the  common 
soldiers,  became  cruel  and  rapacious,  which  hurt  the 
King's  mind  both  as  a  Christian  and  a  soldier,  and, 
sending  for  the  generals  and  colonels,  he  addressed  an 
harangue  to  them  upon  these  excesses  in  a  style  pecu- 
liarly his  own.  Gustavus  had  lost  by  the  casualties  of 
war  and  sickness  nearly  20,000  of  his  soldiers.  The 
Duke  of  Friedland's  army  was  at  the  same  time 
diminished  by  the  sword,  desertion,  and  famine,  by  as 
many  as  36,000.  Affected  by  these  conditions  of  the 
contest,  the  King  assembled  the  patricians  of  Nurem- 
berg, and  assuring  them  of  the  grief  it  caused  him  to 
desert  this  faithful  and  affectionate  city,  proved  to 
them  by  sound  military  reasoning  that  "Wallenstein 
could  not  attempt  to  besiege  them  ;  but  he  promised 
faithfully  that  if  he  did,  he  would  march  back  in 
person  to  their  relief ;  and  in  assurance  of  both  pro- 
mises he  appointed  Kniphausen  with  4000  men  to 
defend  Nuremberg  to  the  last,  upon  his  head,  and 
added,  "  I  will  leave  my  Chancellor,  Oxenstierna,  with 
you  as  a  pledge  of  my  sincere  intentions  not  to  abandon 
you  in  the  time  of  any  trouble." 

On  the  8th  of  September  the  King  quitted  his  camp  Gustavus 

in  full  order  of  battle  and  in  face  of  the  enemy,  but  no  "?vades 

J  '  Upper  Aus- 

attempt  was  made  to  disturb  his  march.  His  route  tria. 
lay  along  the  banks  of  the  Aisch  to  Neustadt  and 
Windsheim,  where  he  halted  five  days.  But  Wallen- 
stein rested  motionless  for  a  few  days  after  the  King's 
departure,  being  as  much  exhausted,  and  tired  of  his 
camp,  as  Gustavus ;  but  he  also  broke  up  from  it  on 
the  12th,  and  set  it  on  fire.  His  march  was  directed 
down  the  Rednitz  on  Bamberg.  The  King  thought 
that,  perhaps,  the  Imperialists  proposed  to  themselves 
to  make  some  attempt  on  his  late  conquests  in  Fran- 


20G  .1  STATUS    ADOLPIIUS. 

conia,  and  accordingly  he  now  divided  his  army, 
and  gave  Duke  Bernhard  of  Saxc  Weimar  10,000  or 
12,000  men,  wherewith  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the 
Maine,  if  necessary,  against  Wallenstein  :  and  with  the 
remainder  he  undertook  an  expedition  against  Upper 
Austria,  which  last  was  done  upon  the  persuasion  of 
Oxenstierna,  that  the  Emperor  would  he  more  tender 
of  one  hereditary  province  than  of  all  the  other  do- 
minions of  the  German  Princes. 
Inglorious        Gustavus  accordingly  marched  his  army  to  Donau- 

sunrender     werth,  not  without  an  ardent  hope  that  he  might  have  an 

or  Ram  by  .    .  r,  ° 

Mitzval.      opportunity  of  obtaining  possession  of  Ingoldstadt.    On 

his  march  he  heard  that  Montecucculi,  with  an  Imperial 
army,  had  invested  Bain.  The  King  had,  however,  left 
in  it  a  sufficient  garrison,  and  had  placed  it  in  the 
hands  of  Colonel  Mitzval,  with  ample  supplies  of  every 
kind.  He  was  an  officer  of  long  standing,  and  had  served 
with  the  King  in  his  Polish  wars  ;  and  His  Majesty  was 
therefore  quite  easy  in  respect  to  the  fortress.  He  had 
victuals,  artillery,  and  ammunition  in  abundance ;  and 
had  been  commanded  to  strengthen  the  fortifications 
by  some  new  works,  that  had  been  ordered  to  be  raised 
before  the  King  quitted  Bavaria.  Great,  therefore, 
was  his  astonishment  when  he  received  the  news  of 
Mitzval's  ignominious  and  mean-spirited  capitulation. 
It  appears  to  have  been  a  characteristic  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  as  it  was  of  Wellington  in  our  day,  that 
when  any  contretems  happened  calculated  to  vex  him, 
or  to  disturb  his  operations,  he  immediately  sat  down 
to  consider  of  some  expedient  to  recover  himself,  rather 
than  waste  his  thoughts  on  a  mere  unprofitable  retro- 
spect. He  knew  that  there  was  a  castle  hard  by  that  had 
a  bridge  over  the  Lech ;  and,  having  lost  the  bridge  of 
Rain,  he  made  a  hasty  march  to  Obernsdorf,  where  he 
found  the  Imperialists  in  the  act  of  destroying  the  one 
•  at  that  place.  On  his  approach  the  enemy  fled,  and  he 
soon  restored  the  structure,  and,  passing  his  army  over 
it,  marched  immediately  to  Pain,  where,  knowing  the 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHIJS. 


207 


weak  point  in  the  trace,  he  immediately  made  a  bold 
attempt  at  an  escalade,  and  by  this  means  got  back 
immediate  possession  of  that  fortress.  From  thence  he 
followed  after  Montecucculi,  who  had  retired  to  Ratis- 
bon,  and  on  the  5th  of  October  the  Swedish  army  halted 
at  Neuburg  on  the  Danube.  The  person  of  the  unfor- 
tunate Colonel  Mitzval  had  been  surrendered  to  him  at 
Rain,  and  His  Majesty  now  resolved  to  make  an  example 
of  him,  and  to  have  him  beheaded  in  presence  of  the 
whole  army.  During  the  whole  of  his  German  service 
no  execution  had  been  witnessed  in  the  army  of  the 
King  of  Sweden ;  but  he  firmly  resisted  every  appeal 
that  was  now  made  upon  his  mercy  for  this  chief  delin- 
quent,  while  he  granted  the  pardon  of  some  inferior 
officers  who  were  deemed  to  have  been,  from  some 
reason  or  another,  implicated  in  the  surrender  with 
the  Governor. 

The    King   of  Sweden   had   witnessed   with    great  The  Elec- 
uneasiness  the  acts  of  diplomacy  that  were  employed  gaxonv's 
to  detach  his  allies  from  him.     There  was  no  one  re-  jealousy  of 
spectinsr  whose  sincerity  he  had  a  greater   misgiving  .   e  F™w" 

r  °  J  °  so  mg  mflu- 

than  that  of  John  George,  Elector  of  Saxony.  Hating  enceofGus- 
war  in  the  abstract,  yet  jealous  to  the  highest  degree  tavus- 
of  the  military  reputation  of  Gustavus,  this  Sovereign 
could  not  see  without  great  disquiet  the  interference  of 
Sweden  in  the  affairs  of  the  Empire.  The  increasing 
influence  of  the  King  in  Germany,  his  authority  over 
many  of  the  Protestant  states,  the  palpable  ambition 
which  must  naturally  arise  out  of  so  many  conquests, 
all  combined  to  excite  great  uneasiness  in  the  Elector's 
breast ;  and  the  bitter  complaints  against  the  Swedish 
army  which  were  continuaUy  made  by  the  Saxon  Court 
seemed  to  render  an  approaching  rupture  inevitable.  The 
Elector  of  Saxony  was  at  this  moment  displeased  at  the 
intention  of  the  Swedish  King  to  attack  Ingoldstadt, 
and  disliked  his  taking  advantage  of  an  insurrection  in 
Upper  Austria  to  invade  that  hereditary  dominion  of 
the  Emperor.    To  these  complaints,  however,  Gustavus 


2  OS 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPnUS. 


Tycho 
Brahe's 
astrologi- 
cal predic- 
tions. 


Gustavus 
takes  his 
last  leave 
of  Oxen- 
stierna,  and 
of  his 
Queen. 


had"  not  listened ;  but  now  that  he  was  informed  by 
express  from  Oxenstierna,  that  Wallenstein  had  fallen 
upon  Voigtland  and  Misnia,  and  threatened  to  overrun 
the  Saxon  electorate,  he  thought  it  due  to  his  ally  to 
interfere,  and  broke  up  with  all  haste  from  the  valley 
of  the  Danube,  and  marched  back  to  Nuremberg,  in- 
tending to  penetrate  the  vast  Thuringian  forest,  and  to 
protect  the  territory  of  his  unstable  colleague.  Gus- 
tavus moreover  had  never  had  any  confidence  in  the 
Saxon  General  Arnheim,  and  he  had  received  very  clear 
evidence  that  he  was  in  direct  correspondence  with 
Wallenstein. 

The  celebrated  Swedish  astronomer,  Tycho  Brahe, 
who  had  lived  up  to  the  beginning  of  this  century,  had 
announced  on  the  appearance  of  a  new  star  in  Cas- 
siopeia, in  the  year  1572,  "that  a  northern  prince 
might  be  expected  to  arise  who  should  greatly  assist  the 
interests  of  the  more  pure  religion,  and  that  the  pre- 
cise culmination  of  this  astral  influence  should  be  per- 
ceived by  the  generality  of  mankind  in  the  year  1632, 
or  thereabouts."  Gustavus  being  now  in  the  zenith 
of  his  glory,  in  the  very  year  indicated,  many  were 
led  to  recur  to  this  prediction,  and  to  cast  in  their 
minds  to  what  it  was  now  about  to  lead. 

The  Swedish  army  marched  in  fourteen  days  to 
Arnstadt,  where  it  rested  for  six  days.  The  King  had 
brought  the  Chancellor  with  him  from  Nuremberg,  to 
confer  with  him  at  greater  leisure  as  to  the  prospects 
of  the  war.  But  here  Oxenstierna  took  his  last  farewell 
of  his  respected  Sovereign  and  early  friend,  and  returned 
to  Nuremberg ;  while  the  King  carried  the  army  for- 
ward a  march  of  twenty  miles  to  Erfurt,  where  he  found 
his  Queen  Eleonora,  who  received  him  on  foot  in  the 
market-place,  attended  by  her  train  of  ladies  ;  and  here, 
two  days  later,  he  took  a  most  affectionate  leave  of  her 
also,  who  was  never  again  to  behold  him,  save  in  his 
coffin  at  Weissenfels.  In  two  days  and  a  half  His  Ma- 
jesty, by  easy  marches,  reached  Naumburg  on  the  1st  of 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  209 

November,  which  town  on  his  approach  he  found  barred 
against  him  by  an  officer  of  Pappenheim's ;  on  which 
Gustavus  sent  Colonel  Brandstein,  at  the  head  of  a 
body  of  musketeers,  who,  on  reaching  the  gate  of  the 
city,  and  finding  some  hesitation  in  its  being  opened, 
applied  a  petard  to  the  portcullis,  and,  opening  his  way, 
entered  the  town  sword  in  hand.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  country  through  which  Gustavus  Adolphus  had 
marched  flocked  around  his  path  in  crowds,  to  look 
upon  the  great  hero  who  a  short  year  before  had 
alighted  in  that  same  region,  appearing  among  them 
like  a  protecting  angel.  Shouts  of  joy  every  where 
attended  his  progress.  The  people  knelt  before  him, 
and  struggled  for  the  honour  of  touching  the  sheath 
of  his  sword,  or  kissing  the  hem  of  his  garment. 
The  characteristic  modesty  of  the  "  Lion  of  the  North  " 
disliked  these  tributes  of  veneration,  which  a  grateful 
and  admiring  multitude  paid  him,  saying,  "  Is  it  not 
as  if  this  people  would  make  a  god  of  me  ?  Our  affairs 
indeed  prosper ;  but  I  fear  the  vengeance  of  Heaven 
will  fall  upon  me  for  this  presumption,  and  soon  reveal 
to  this  multitude  my  human  weakness  and  mortality." 

Wallenstein,  having  overrun  Voigtland,  and  besieged  Battle  of 
and  captured  Leipzig,  had  now,  on  the  28th  of  October,  Lufczen- 
effected  a  junction  with  Pappenheim  at  Merseburg. 
While  the  two  Imperial  leaders  were  concocting  their 
future  plan  of  operations,  word  came  that  the  King  of 
Sweden  had  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Saal.  It  became 
necessary,  therefore,  to  bring  matters  to  the  hazard  of 
a  battle,  in  order  that  the  Imperialist  army  might 
secure  winter-quarters,  for  it  was  now  already  on  the 
verge  of  winter.  Duke  Bernhard  of  Saxe  Weimar,  who 
had  been  hovering  about  Wallenstein's  movements,  had 
now  joined  the  King,  so  that  Gustavus  was  at  the  head 
of  20,000  veterans.  However,  he  consulted  both  Bern- 
hard  and  Kniphausen  as  to  their  opinion  of  his  hazard- 
ing a  battle  ;  and  it  was  resolved  that  His  Majesty  had 
better  not  do  so  with  such  odds  of  numbers  against  him, 

p 


210  GUSTAVUS    ADOLPUITS. 

principally  on  the  judgment  of  the  older  general,  Knip- 
hausen,  who  laid  it  down  that  "  no  commander  ought  to 
encounter  an  enemy  superior  to  him  in  strength,  unless 
compelled  to  do  so  by  some  pressing  necessity.  Now,  your 
Majesty  is  neither  circumscribed  in  space,  nor  in  want 
of  provisions,  forage,  or  warlike  stores."   In  consequence 
of  this  decision,  the  army  was  ordered,  on  the  3rd  of 
November,  to  throw  up  intrenchments,    in   order  to 
await  some  reinforcements  expected  under  the  Duke 
of  Lunenburg.    This  precaution  of  the  King's  deceived 
the  Imperialist  General,  who  thought  that  Gustavus 
was  forming  his  intrenched  camp  near  Naumburg,  so, 
he  had  previously  done  near  Nuremberg.     Wallenstci; 
moreover  found  that  all  voices  in  his  army  were  raise- 
against  continuing  the  campaign  in  the  severe  weatlu 
and  were  universally  clamorous  in  their  desire  for  repi  »s 
In  the  hesitation  of  his  mind,  it  is  said  that  he  had  tl 
condescension  to  request   Pappenheim  to   collect   tl 
private  opinions  of  all  the  generals  and  colonels,  wl. 
declared  unanimously  against  any  attempt  to  force  tli 
Swedish  lines.  t 

Gustavus         It  is  not  very  clearly  recorded  why,  when  the  hostil 
suddenly      armies  were   in  such    close   position,  the  Imperialis- 
attack  the  General  should  have  taken  the  step  that  he  next  did, 
Impe-  which  was — to  detach  Pappenheim,  with  8000  men, 

nahsts.  to  jjjjjg  jjut  tne  fac£  that  he  had  done  so  was  made 
known  to  the  King  by  an  intercepted  letter  from 
General  Colloredo  on  the  very  day  that  the  detachment 
marched  off.  Other  divisions  of  the  army  were  found 
also  to  have  moved  into  cantonments  between  the 
Unstruth  and  the  Saal.  On  hearing  of  this  act  of  his 
adversary,  the  King  thought  himself  released  from 
Kniphausen's  arguments,  and  to  be  at  liberty  to  follow 
his  own  inclination  to  bring  "Wallenstein  to  battle.  At 
one  hour  after  midnight,  on  the  5th  November,  the  whole 
Swedish  army  was  accordingly  put  in  motion  as  far  as 
Pegau,  where  it  stopped  four  hours  before  daylight  to 
take  some  repose  and  refreshment ;  and  Gustavus  here 


GITSTAVTJS    ADOLPHUS.  2]  1 

received  from  some  of  the  country  people  the  gratifying 
assurance  that  the  Imperialist  army  was  quiet,  and 
had  made  no  counter-movement.  He  formed  the  idea 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment  to  advance  and  surprise 
the  detachments  in  their  quarters  before  it  could  be 
possible  for  the  commanding  officers  to  collect  any 
mass  together.  He  therefore  demanded  the  road  to 
Lutzen.andwas  informed  that  it  was  close  under  his  eves, 
and  the  army  was  therefore  ordered  to  march  "  right 
shoulders  forward,"  and  to  bend  its  course  towards  that 
place,  supposed  to  be  five  miles  distant.  It  proved,  how- 
ever, to  be  more  than  eight  miles  off;  and  the  greater 
oart  of  the  day  was  expended  in  struggling  through  the 
day  of  the  ploughed  ground,  making  but  an  inconsider- 
ble  advance.  At  length  they  attained  to  Rippach,  a 
illage  in  which  was  a  regiment  of  Imperial  cuirassiers, 
nd  another  of  Croatians.  The  King  immediately 
pened  some  field-pieces,  under  whose  fire  he  attacked 
he  flank,  while  he  went  forward  and  dislodged  the 
memy  out  of  their  quarters :  but  yet  it  was  thought 
3hat  the  success  was  unimportant,  and  that  this 
urtive  night-march  of  the  whole  Swedish  army 
was  a  somewhat  rash  proceeding ;  so  that  Knip- 
hausen  again  intruded  his  counsel  to  the  King  for  a 
retreat.  The  King  however  replied,  with  a  tone  of 
decision  somewhat  more  arbitrary  than  was  customary 
with  him,  "  that  the  die  was  now  cast ;  that  he  could 
not  bear  to  have  Wallenstein  under  his  beard  and  not 
make  a  swoop  upon  him ;  for,"  said  he,  "  I  long  to 
unearth  him,  and  see  how  he  can  acquit  himself  in  a 
champaign  country."  The  motions  of  the  Swedish  army 
had  been,  however,  now  recognized ;  and  the  fight 
troops  of  the  Duke  of  Friedland,  under  the  command  of 
the  Croatian  General  Isolani,  dashed  forward  to  occupy 
the  villages  on  the  plain  of  Lutzen.  Wallenstein  at 
the  same  time  despatched  an  officer  to  recall  Pappen- 
heim,  with  orders  to  allow  nothing  to  impede  his 
return.     As  soon  as  he  had  sent  off  his  message,  and 

p  2 


212 


OVSTAVTS    ADOI/l'llTS. 


Disposition 
of  the  hos- 
lilc  forces 
before  the 
battle. 


recovered  a  little  his  presence  of  mind,  he  began  to 
scan  anxiously  the  nature  of  the  ground  occupied  by 
himself,  or  possessed  by  Gustavus,  and  to  reconnoitre 
the  battle-field  before  him. 

A  large  highway  from  Lutzen  to  Leipzig  bisects  the 
plain  in  a  line  that  extends  from  west  to  east;  on  the 
southern  side  of  which  lay  the  Swedes,  and  on  the 
northern  the  Imperialists.  Two  ditches,  one  on  each 
side,  ran  parallel  to  this  road,  on  the  sides  of  which, 
here  and  there,  were  old  willow-trees.  The  soil  is  a 
deep  rich  mould,  somewhat  heavy  to  the  tread  of  horse 
and  foot.  On  Wallenstein's  right,  near  the  town  of 
Lutzen,  was  an  eminence,  on  which  some  windmills 
stood.  It  does  not  appear  that  Gustavus  employed 
the  time  of  the  evening  of  the  5th  in  forming  any 
artificial  defences ;  but  the  Duke  of  Friedland  had 
ordered  that  the  ditches  on  the  road-side  should  be 
deepened  and  widened  ;  and  he  fixed  two  large  batteries 
on  the  windmill  hill.  Gustavus  ordered  his  army  to 
be  prepared  to  attack  two  hours  before  daybreak  ;  but 
the  morning  was  so  intensely  dark,  owing  to  a  heavy 
mist,  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  discern  an  object 
at  two  pikes'  distance.  The  King  had  passed  the 
night  in  his  coach  with  Kniphausen  and  Duke  Bern- 
hard,  for  the  old  campaigner  was  not  the  proprietor  of 
a  tent,  or  of  any  field  equipage — a  neglect  which  is  not 
generally  the  characteristic  of  an  old  soldier.  Gustavus 
was  early  on  horseback,  but  finding  he  could  not  fight, 
he  proposed  to  pray  ;  and  ordered  his  chaplain  to  per- 
form Divine  service.  He  declined  to  take  any  refresh- 
ment— another  grievous  omission  in  an  old  soldier. 
When  invited  to  put  on  his  steel  breastplate,  according 
to  custom,  he  refused,  saying,  "  The  Lord  is  my 
armour ;"  and  this  would  have  been  a  weakness,  but 
that  it  is  believed  that  a  wound  he  had  formerly  received 
prevented  his  wearing  it ;  and  he  was  therefore  only  clad 
in  a  new  plain  cloth  doublet,  and  an  elk-skin  surtout 2. 
2  This  dress  is  still  preserved  in  the  Imperial  Museum  at  Vienna. 


GUSTAVUS    ADOLPHUS.  213 

"  God  with  us,"  was  the  countersign  of  the  Swedes ; 
"  Jesu  Maria,"  was  that  of  the  Imperialists. 

It  was  past  eight  o'clock  (some  say  eleven)  before  Desperate 
the  fog  lifted  ;  and  the  King  immediately  mounted  his  pCtl°n  r:  . 
horse,  and  made  a  short  address  to  the  several  divisions  sia;n. 
of  his  army.  Drawing  his  sword  for  action,  Gustavus 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  right  wing.  Wallen- 
stein  opened  upon  his  advance  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery  ; 
to  which  the  King  could  ill  reply,  from  the  fact  that, 
although  the  Swedish  guns  were  more  in  number  than 
those  of  his  adversary,  yet  they  were  all  of  light  calibre, 
and  many  of  them  merely  made  of  leather.  The  ditches 
of  the  road  were  a  formidable  obstacle  for  any  troops  to 
surmount,  for  they  were  lined  with  musketeers,  who 
exceedingly  incommoded  the  cavalry  in  their  advance. 
But  at  length  the  "commanded"  musketeers  of  the 
Swedes  cleared  the  high  road,  and  crossed  it.  But  the 
brigades  that  followed  the  advance  found  the  passage 
of  the  road  so  hazardous,  that  they  seemed  to  pause ; 
whereupon  Gustavus,  quickly  observing  this  hesitation, 
snatched  a  partisan  from  one  of  the  colonels,  to  lead 
them  across.  "  If,"  said  he,  with  severity,  "  after 
having  passed  so  many  rivers,  scaled  so  many  walls, 
and  fought  so  many  battles,  your  old  courage  has  failed 
you,  stand  still  but  a  moment,  and  see  your  master 
die  in  the  manner  we  all  ought  to  be  ready  to  do ;" 
and  he  essayed  to  leap  the  ditch  before  them.  "  Stop, 
sire,"  said  the  men ;  "  for  Heaven's  sake  spare  your 
invaluable  life ;  do  not  distrust  us ;  the  business  shall 
be  completed."  Having  now  passed  the  ditches  with 
them,  he  observed  opposite  to  him  three  dark  masses 
of  Imperial  cuirassiers,  clad  in  iron ;  and,  turning  to 
Colonel  Stalhaus,  an  officer  of  considerable  repute,  he 
said,  "  Charge  me  those  black  fellows ;  for  they  are 
men  that  will  undo  us — as  for  the  Croatians,  I  mind 
them  not."  Stalhaus  executed  the  royal  order  with 
great  alacrity;  but  the  Croatians  suddenly  changed  their 
direction,  to  fall  upon  the  baggage,  and  had  actually 


214  (,lsi\VL'S   ABOLPHTJS. 

reached  the  King's  coach,  which  only  escaped  capture 
in  the  great  disorder.    The  trenches  being  passed,  the 

Swedes  pressed  forward  with  such  irresistible  impetuosity 
that  the  first,  second,  and  third  Imperial  hrigades  were 
forced  to  fly  ;  hut  Wallenstein  came  down  to  their  aid 
in  person,  and  at  the  sound  of  his  voice  the  fugitives 
were  stopped.     Three  regiments  of  cavalry  now  arrived 
to   cover  their  re-formation,   and  they  in   their  turn 
pressed  vigorously  against  the  Swedes,  who  were  forced 
to  retire  again  hey  on  d  the  trenches ;   and  a  Swedish 
hattery  on  the  further  side  was  captured.     The  King 
was  at  the  moment  on  the   right,   Avhen   word   was 
hrought  him  that  his  left  wing  had  heen  driven  hack 
across  the  trenches.  Leavingtherefore  Gustavus  Horn  to 
maintain  the  conflict  on  the  right, he  galloped  at  the  head 
of  the  regiment  of  Steinhoch  to  repair  the  disorder.    As 
he  passed  along,  a  cuirassier  corporal,  or  "  Gefreyter,"  of 
Piccolomini's  regiment,  remarking  that  every  one  re- 
spectfully made  way  for  him,  and  therefore  thinking 
he  must  he    an    officer   of  consecpaence,   immediately 
ordered  a  musketeer  to  fire  at  him.      The  soldier  fired 
as  he  was  ordered,  and  Gustavus   received   his   first 
wound  in  his  left  arm.    With  his  accustomed  resolution 
he  concealed  the  fact  from  the  men  around  him ;  hut, 
at  length,  perceiving  his  strength  to  fail,  he  whispered 
to  the  Duke  of  Lauenberg,  "  Cousin,  I  perceive  myself 
to  he  grievously  wounded ;  lead  me  to  some  place  of 
safety."     At  the  same  moment  an  Imperial  scmadron 
came  rushing  up,  and,  in  the  confusion  of  the  moment, 
the  King  received  a  second  shot,  in  the  back  ;  when  he 
turned  to  the  same  prince,  saying,  "  Brother,  I  have 
enough  ;  look  you  to  your  own  life ;"  and  at  the  same 
instant   he    fell   to   the   ground.       His   few   personal 
attendants  remained  at  his  side  to  tend  and  protect 
him ;  but  the  troops  that  accompanied  him  were  dis- 
persed.   A  desperate  struggle,  however,  still  took  place 
around  his  body  ;  when  a  German  page,  refusing  to  tell 
his  royal  master's  rank,  was  shot  through  the  body. 


OUSTAVFS    ADOLPHUS.  215 

But  the  dying  hero,  taking  up  the  question,  said,  "  I 
am  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  seal  with  my  blood  the 
Protestant  religion  and  the  liberties  of  Germany." 
A  shot  from  a  pistol,  and  a  sword-thrust,  soon  ter- 
minated the  life  of  the  royal  sufferer,  who  could  only 
add,  "  My  God  !  my  God  !  Alas  !  my  poor  Queen," 
and  expired. 

The  sight  of  the  King's  charger  covered  with  blood  Duke  Bern- 
proclaimed  to  the  army  that  "  the  Lion  of  the  North  hard  of 
had  fallen."       Duke  Bernhard  of  Saxe  Weimar  im-  ^J*' 
mediately    assumed    the    command,    and    ordered    an  smnes  the 
advance  to  secure  possession  of  the  royal  body.     The  of™™*11'1 
soldiers  fought  for  it  like  enraged  lions,  for  every  one  Swedish 
seemed  to  have  the  ambition  to  expire  by  the  side  of  army" 
their  royal  leader;    but  it  could  not  at  that  time  be 
obtained.     The  fight  was  some  time  maintained  with 
resistless  impetuosity,  and  the  yellow   guard   of  the 
King  was  nearly  cut  to  pieces.     It  was  not  till  the 
fury  of  the  battle  was  past,  that,  after  a  long  search, 
the  royal  corpse  was  discovered,  covered  with  wounds 
and   blood,    trampled   under    horses'    hoofs,    stripped 
and  naked,  and  scarcely  to  be  recognized.     After  the 
victory  of  Lutzen  the  King's  body  rested  for  a  time  on 
a  great  stone,  which  still  exists  on  the  field,  and  is 
called   "the  Stone  of  the   Swede."       The   body   was 
afterwards  carried  from  the  field  in  state,  attended  by 
the  whole  army,  and  conducted  to  Weissenfels,  where 
it  was  entrusted  to  the  care  of  Queen  Eleonora,  and  the 
loving  wife  attended  it  to  Sweden,  when  it  was  deposited 
in  the  royal  vault  at  Stockholm,  amidst  the  tears  of  the 
Swedish  nation  ;  and  the  sight  of  the  coffin  still  excites 
the  sympathies  of  after  generations,  who  will  never  cease 
to  appreciate  Gustavus'  very  great  worth,  devotion,  and 
most  just  claims  to  immortality 3. 

3  At  the  death  of  the  King  his  body  was  stripped  on  the  field 
by  the  Imperialists  almost  before  it  was  cold,  for  every  one  was 
desirous  to  possess  a  relic  that  had  belonged  to  this  great  and  good 
man.  His  buff  waistcoat  was  ordered  to  be  taken  off  from  the  body 


210  GUSTAVTS    ADOLPHUS. 

Personal  In  person  Ghistavus  Adolplms  was  extremely  majcs- 

nceand  ^c'  aim  ^  was  ms  nowe  form,  and  the  many  honour- 
general  able  scars  on  his  body,  that  distinguished  him  most 
character,  pre-eminently  in  the  heap  of  the  "  ignoble  slain."  He 
vus  Adol-  was  the  most  graceful  figure  of  his  own  army,  of  the 
phus.  tallest  but  not  in  the  least  obese,  although  somewhat 

inclined  to  stoutness.  His  eyes  were  of  a  hght  grey 
colour,  and  had  a  piercing  clearness,  but  inclined  to  soft- 
ness, excepting  when  occasional  bursts  of  anger  discom- 
posed them,  then  they  flashed  fire ;  his  hair  was  light, 
his  nose  somewhat  aquiline,  his  forehead  large,  and  his 
complexion  florid.  His  countenance,  as  will  be  acknow- 
ledged by  all  who  know  the  many  portraits  of  him,  was 
open  and  attractive  ;  and  his  manners,  though  command- 
ing, were  affable  and  condescending.  It  was  said  of  him, 
"  that  he  died  with  the  sword  in  his  hand,  the  word  of 
command  on  his  tongue,  and  victory  in  his  imagination." 
But  his  greatest  praise  is  that  of  which  he  was  himself 
ambitious  ;— — "  That  he  might  be  regarded  as  the  prince 
who  had  fulfilled  the  duties  of  that  station  which 
Providence  had  assigned  to  him  in  the  world."  Pro- 
fessor Smyth  thus  sums  up  his  character,  with  a 
moral  that  is  deserving  of  every  general's  deep  con- 
sideration :  — "  It  is  fortunate  when  the  high  courage 
and  activity  of  which  the  human  character  is  capable 
are  tempered  with  a  sense  of  justice,  wisdom,  and 
benevolence :  when  he  who  leads  thousands  to  the  field 

by  Piccolomini,  who  sent  it  as  a  trophy  to  the  Emperor.  His  sword 
was  taken  out  of  his  death-grasp,  and  carried  no  one  knew  whither. 
His  ring  and  spurs  got  into  the  possession  of  one  of  the  name  of 
Hoik  j  and  his  gold  chain  is  still  preserved  in  a  family  of  the 
name  of  Schneberg.  But  from  the  period  in  question  nothing  is 
known  concerning  a  famous  turquoise  of  extraordinary  size  and 
beauty,  that  had  belonged  from  time  immemorial  to  the  crown  of 
Sweden.  It  was  surmised  that  it  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a 
Roman-Catholic  Bishop,  who  desired  that  his  diocese  should  pos- 
sess this  distinguishing  mark  of  Anti-Christ  (for  such  the  Papists 
styled  Gustavus) — Ne  qui  alii,  ut  post  victoriam  ignavi  eliam 
(jloriantur,  hanc  sibi  laudem  prcecerpant. 


OKTSTAVTTS   ADOLPHUS.  217 

has  sensibility  enough  to  feel  the  responsibility  of  his 

awful  trust,  and  wisdom  enough  to  take  care  that  he 

directs  against  its  proper  objects   alone,  the  afflicting 

storm  of  human  devastation.     It  is  not  always  that 

they  who  have  commanded  the  admiration  of  mankind 

have   claims  like  these  to  their  applause.     It  is  not 

always  that  the  great  and  high  endowments  of  courage 

and  sagacity  are  so  united  with  other  high  qualities,  as 

to  present  to  the  historian  at  once  a  Christian,  a  soldier, 

and  a  statesman.    Yet  such  was  Gustavus  Adolphus, — 

a  hero  deserving  of  the  name,  perfectly  distinguishable 

from  those  who  have  assumed  the  honours  that  belong 

to  it, — the  mere  military  executioners  with  whom  every 

age  has  been  infested." 

Gustavus  Adolphus  is  thought  to  have  been  the  first  Gustavus 

sovereign  who  set  the  example  of  a  standing  army.  sets*.tue 

°  ,  r  _  .  .  earliest  ex- 

The  feudal  association  of  Barons  with  their  retainers,  ample  of  a 

had  given  way  in  the  previous  century  to  a  set  of  standiug 
military  adventurers,  who  made  war  a  profession  to 
gratify  then*  licence  and  their  acquisitiveness,  and  who 
were  commissioned  by  kings  and  leaders  to  collect 
together  the  assassins  of  Europe.  These  constituted 
at  the  very  time  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War  the  unprin- 
cipled and  insatiate  legions  who  harried  Germany,  who, 
without  much  discipline,  were  continually  dissipated  by 
the  first  disaster,  and  collected  together  again  as  it  were 
from  the  four  winds  of  heaven  to  cover  the  face  of  the 
land  again  and  again  with  terror,  devastation,  and  con- 
fusion. Gustavus,  who  had  witnessed  this  from  afar, 
or  experienced  it  in  his  Polish  wars,  had  in  him  that 
spirit  of  organization  and  order,  which  signally  distin- 
guished him  above  every  great  leader  who  preceded  him. 
He  saw  that  a  well-disciplined  force  of  men  to  be  com- 
manded by  a  superior  class  of  officers  of  high  honour  and 
intelligence,  and  who  should  constitute  an  armed  body 
that  might  obtain  the  dignity  of  a  profession  of  arms, 
would  be  a  more  efficient  and  a  cheaper  defence  of 
nations  than  the  hap-hazard  assembling  of  mere  blood- 


cannon. 


218  GUSTAVTJS    ADOLP1IUS. 

bounds ;  and  he  first  executed  the  project  of  having  a 
force  of   80,000  men,  part   in    activity,    and    part   in 
reserve,    who    should    be    constantly    maintained    well 
armed,  well  clothed,  well  fed,  and  well  disciplined. 
[mprove-  It  is,  perhaps,   the   highest    military   encomium   of 

artUlerv  •  tlustavus  Adolphus,  that  he  was  the  greatest  tactician 
leather  of  his  age.  The  necessity  of  remodelling  the  national 
army,  so  as  to  make  it  to  be  more  readily  handled  and 
set  in  motion,  had  been  effectively  learned  in  his  Polish 
wars.  The  Swedish  battalion  of  infantry,  as  constituted 
by  the  King,  was  divided  into  eight  companies — 150 
or  160  men  in  each.  Two-thirds  of  each  company  were 
musketeers,  and  one-third  pikemen.  It  must  be  re- 
membered that  bayonets  had  not  yet  been  invented, 
and  the  organization  accordingly  required  that  the 
pikemen  should  be  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  company, 
and  the  musketeers  at  the  flanks ;  but  they  were  so 
told  off,  that  when  infantry  were  to  be  encountered  the 
musketeers  advanced  and  poured  in  their  fire ;  and 
when  cavalry  impended,  the  pikemen  were  thrown  for- 
ward, their  flanks  being  well  covered  by  the  flanking 
fire  of  the  musketeers.  The  instruments  of  war  were 
also  considerably  improved  ;  the  incumbrance  and  other 
defects  of  the  matchlock  were  rectified ;  and  flintlocks 
began  to  supersede  the  very  cumbrous  process  of  the 
match.  The  rest,  which  was  still  considered  necessary 
for  the  musket,  was  now  abolished  for  the  pike,  which 
was  also  lightened  by  being  shortened.  Gustavus  was 
likewise  the  first  who  reduced  the  matchlock  of  the 
cavalry  to  the  dimensions  of  carbines.  The  soldiers  up 
to  his  time  carried  bandoliers,  or  a  leathern  belt  gar- 
nished with  eleven  little  wooden  cylindric  boxes,  ten  of 
which  contained  ball-cartridge,  and  the  eleventh  loose 
powder  for  priming.  This  the  King  superseded  by  the 
cartouche-box,  and  a  powder-flask,  from  which  last  they 
blew  the  powder  into  the  priming-pan.  The  cuirassiers 
were  still  completely  cased  in  armour  from  head  to  foot. 
The  King  first  restricted  his   own   heavy    cavalry  to 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLPHUS.  219 

breastplates  and  a  headpiece ;  the  horsemen  had  till 
then  carried  a  long  pike,  sixteen  feet  long,  which  was 
also  reduced  to  the  length  of  eleven  feet :  the  general 
principle  adopted  by  the  King  in  all  these  changes 
being  the  sensible  one — of  rendering  men  more  agile  in 
the  field.  The  soldiers  of  every  army  still  carried 
swords.  It  is  true  that  the  same  fate  awaited  many  of 
the  inventions  of  Gustavus  that  attach  to  those  of  all 
other  men.  Being  in  advance  of  the  prejudices  of  his 
own  age,  they  dropped  into  desuetude  after  him.  No 
more  remarkable  example  of  this  could  have  existed 
than  the  invention  of  leather  cannon,  which  certainly 
contributed  very  considerably  to  the  victory  at  Leipzig, 
and  to  many  of  the  successful  actions  of  the  King's 
wars.  These  pieces  were  of  extraordinary  service  upon 
all  rapid  marches,  through  deep  land,  and  over  difficult 
mountain  passes ;  for  one  strong  horse  could  convey  a 
couple  of  them  as  fast  as  any  troops  could  march. 
They  were  easily  shifted,  and  quickly  discharged.  In 
our  time  we  can  afford  to  smile  at  an  invention  which 
has  been  altogether  shunted ;  but  at  that  period  its 
merit  of  portability,  and  its  facility  of  opening  unex- 
pected bombardment  upon  the  masses,  which  were  the 
ordinary  formation  of  every  hostile  array,  and  especially 
against  cavalry,  from  whose  attacks  they  could  be 
speedily  removed,  gave  them  such  consideration  in  this 
King's  eyes,  that  he  used  them  in  all  his  wars  from 
1628  till  his  death.  They  were  composed  of  thick 
layers  of  the  hardest  leather,  girt  round  with  iron  or 
brass  rings  or  hoops.  They  of  course  could  not  be 
used  a  great  many  times,  for  after  eight  or  twelve  dis- 
charges they  would  fall  to  pieces :  but  they  could  be 
readily  manufactured  in  camp,  and  were  thus  promptly 
replaced.  Gustavus  paid  very  great  attention  to  the 
artillery  arm,  which  before  his  time  was  very  cumbrous  : 
and  the  practice  of  loading  guns  with  cartridge  was  now 
substituted  for  the  very  hazardous  employment  of  loose 
gunpowder.     The  Marquis  of  Hamilton,  who  was  also 


22U 


OUSTA.YUS    ADOLPIIUS. 


Gustavus' 
great  en- 
courage- 
ment of 
literature. 


His  liiyh 
moral  and 
religious 

excellence. 


of  an  inventive  genius,  brought  over  with  his  little  arm y 
a  four-pounder  brigade,  each  drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses, 
which  the  King  found  very  efficient  in  manoeuvring. 
The  Swedish  evolutions  in  columns,  and  the  Scotch 
custom  of  platoon  firing,  are  both  of  the  time  of  Gus- 
tavus, who  also  anticipated  the  golden  rule  of  the  great 
Marshal  Saxe — "Never  to  fight  without  a  reserve." 
Before  his  time  the  Swedish  troops  used  to  be  formed 
nine  deep,  but  he  perceived  that  in  the  improvement  of 
artillery  these  masses  were  exposed  to  great  havoc  and 
were  difficult  to  move,  and  he  therefore  formed  his 
troops  three  deep.  He  is  also  said  to  have  introduced 
the  bayonet  and  ball-cartridge. 

This  warlike  monarch  possessed,  beside  his  noble 
military  qualities,  many  virtues,  which  in  a  reign  of 
peace  would  have  distinguished  him  above  this  world's 
rulers.  He  patronized  literature,  and  sought  to  in- 
crease the  Archiepiscopal  library  of  Upsal  with  muni- 
ficent donations  from  the  plunder  of  the  many  epis- 
copal libraries  which  were  scattered  "  here  and  there 
and  every  where,"  in  the  wars  of  Germany  ;  and  these 
are  still  numbered  among  its  chief  treasures.  He  also 
founded  the  Royal  Academy  at  Abo,  and  the  Uni- 
versity at  Dorpen  in  Livonia.  He  had  a  playful  love 
of  Latinity;  so  that  when  he  travelled  incognito  he 
would  call  himself  Gabs,  adopted  from  the  capital  letters 
of  his  later  title,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  Rex  Sueviae. 

Yet,  without  doubt,  the  high  attributes  of  this  great 
King's  character  were  his  private  qualities  of  honesty, 
magnanimity,  morality,  and  religion.  There  was  not 
one  breach  of  trust,  one  habitual  immorality,  one  in- 
fraction of  religion,  one  disregard  of  public  virtue  or 
private  worth,  that  can  strictly,  or  with  any  justice,  be 
laid  to  his  charge.  "We  never  find  him  encroaching  or 
overbearing  as  a  Sovereign;  we  never  discover  him 
false  or  dishonourable  in  any  of  the  relative  or  social 
duties  of  life.  He  preferred  no  man  but  for  his  presumed 
merit  and  probity ;  he  broke  his  faith  neither  with  poten- 


GUSTAVUS   ADOLFHUS.  221 

tate  nor  with  subject;  he  never  had  recourse  to  dissimula- 
tion or  deceit ;  for  as  a  brave  man  he  despised  it,  and 
as  a  man  of  integrity  and  judgment  he  did  not  need  it. 
Gustavus  Adolphus  was  one  of  those  great  and  for- 
tunate human  beings,  "quern  vituperare  ne  inimici 
quidem  possunt,  nisi  ut  simul  laudent"  and  his  name 
must  ever  live  in  the  world's  history  as  "  The  Lion  of 
the  North,  and  the  bulwark  of  the  Protestant  faith." 

Gustavus  had  ardently  desired  a  son  who  might  learn  His  daugh- 
from  him  the  arts  of  war  and  government,  in  which  he  ter  and 
thought  he  excelled  ;  and  on  his  return  from  his  cam-  Christina, 
paign  in  Poland,  on  the  8th  of  December,  1626,  it 
was  announced  to  him  that  the  Queen  was  delivered  of 
a  male  child.  But  it  proved  a  mistake  ;  the  child  was 
really  a  girl,  but  had  been  taken  for  a  boy  because  it 
was  dark  and  ugly,  and  cried  with  a  loud  rough  voice. 
This  was  the  celebrated  Christina,  Queen  of  Sweden. 
No  one  liked  to  explain  the  disappointment  to  the 
King,  until  at  length  his  sister,  the  Princess  Catherine, 
took  the  child  in  her  arms,  and,  carrying  it  to  her  bro- 
ther, announced  to  him  that  he  had  a  daughter.  Gus- 
tavus was  too  noble  to  show  any  vexation,  even  if  he 
felt  it.  He  kissed  the  child,  and  said,  "  Let  us  thank 
God,  sister ;  I  hope  this  girl  will  be  as  good  as  a  boy : 
I  am  content,  and  pray  God  to  preserve  the  child." 
After  a  few  moments  he  added,  "  She  is  an  arch  wench 
to  put  a  trick  upon  us  so  soon."  Christina  was  very 
fond  of  her  illustrious  father,  and  would  go  with  him 
to  his  reviews,  evincing  the  greatest  delight  by  clapping 
her  little  hands  when  the  troops  fired,  so  that  the  King 
ordered  the  firing  to  be  repeated  for  her,  saying,  "  She 
is  a  soldier's  daughter." 

A  famous  letter  of  the  King  to  Oxenstierna,  recom-  Commits 

mending  his  wife  and  child  to  his  care,  is  on  record,  in  ^1S  (amilv 
D  .  'to  the  care 

which  he  tells  him,  "  I  exhort  and  entreat  you  for  the  of  Oxen- 
love  of  Christ,  that  if  all  does  not  go  on  well,  you  will  stierna- 
not  lose  courage.     I  conjure  you  to  remember  me  and 
the  welfare  of  my  family,  and  to  act  towards  me  and 


222 


flUSTAVUS    ADOLPIIUS. 


His 

staunch 
Protes- 
tantism 
attracted 
many 
Scotch  to 
his  person. 


mine  as  you  would  have  God  act  towards  you  and 
yours,  and  as  I  will  act  to  you  and  yours  if  it  please 
God  that  I  survive  you,  and  that  your  family  have 
need  of  me." 

Gustavus  was  faithful  to  his  friends,  merciful  to  his 
enemies,  sincere  and  unselfish.  He  has  heen  reproached 
for  ambition,  and  suspected  of  aiming  at  an  universal 
monarchy ;  but  if  he  had  wished  it,  he  could  hardly 
have  ventured  to  thwart  the  warlike  inclinations  of  his 
people,  who  were  eager  to  side  with  their  fellow-Pro- 
testants in  Germany ;  and  he  was  in  heart  and  soul  the 
representative  of  Protestant  opinion,  and  thought  an 
invasion  of  Germany  the  most  effectual  means  of  keep- 
ing war  from  his  own  dominions.  The  religious  enthu- 
siasm of  the  Swedes  extended  to  their  mercenary  auxi- 
liaries, and  the  Scotch  brigade  considered  a  war  against 
Popery  as  their  own  cause,  and  stood  firm  to  the 
Swedes  when  others  revolted1.  They  found  their  truest 
master  in  Gustavus  Adolphus,  who  knew  their  qualities 
well,  and  made  full  use  of  them  in  building  up  the 
great  fabric  of  his  fame.  The  King  sent  back  to  Scot- 
land many  a  military  commander  for  the  great  events 
of  later  warfare,  trained  and  instructed  in  discipline  and 
strategy  by  the  crowned  leader  of  this  wonderful  army. 
Several  of  the  leaders  became,  from  their  fidelity,  valour, 
and  intelligence,  exceedingly  renowned  all  over  Europe. 
Among  their  names  may  be  recorded  Rutherford ; 
Spence  of  Warminster,  created  by  the  Swedish  king 
Count  Orcholm ;  Alexander  Leslie,  afterwards  Earl  of 
Leven,  entitled  "  Scoticani  foederis  supremus  dux ;" 
Drummond,  governor  of  Pomerania ;  Lindsay,  Earl  of 
Craufurd  ;  Ramsay  ;  Hepburn ;  Monro ;  and  last,  not 
least,  Sir  Patrick  Ruthven,  the  most  attached  and 
loved  of  all  the  great  king's  Scotch  followers. 

4  Life  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  by  Harte;  Schiller;  Mitchell; 
Burton ;  Ankers ;  Fryxell's  History  of  Sweden  ;  Kriegs-Kunst 
Lexikon ;  and  Biographies  passim. 


GODFREY  HENRY,  COUNT  YON 
PAPPENHEIM, 

AN  IMPERIALIST  GENERAL. 


Born  1594.     Died  1632. 


No  record  appears  to  exist  of  the  family,  or  province,  Birth  and 
from,  which  this  renowned  warrior  sprang.     All  that  education : 
seems  to  be  known  of  his  infancy  is,  that,  according  fl0n  ^0  the 
to  the  superstitious  traditions  of  the  Ultra-Romanist  Papal 
communion,  to  which  he  belonged,  he  is  said  to  have 
been  marked  from  his  very  cradle  for  the  great  deeds 
of  a  warrior's  life,  and  for  a  most   glorious  warrior's 
death,  by  a  singular  mark  on  his  baby  brow,  which 
was  tb  ought  to  resemble  cross  swords,  but  which,  never- 
theless, in  after  life,  only  became  visible  to  the  eye  on 
occasions  when  he  was   greatly  excited  in  mind  and 
temper.     He  is,  however,  stated  on  some  authority  to 
have  been  born  in  1594,  and  to  have  been  very  nobly 
descended — "  originally   a   baron."     We  also    hear  of 
him  as  a  student   at  the  Universities   of  Altorf  and 


224)  GODFREY    IIENUV. 

Tubingen,  where  he  made  himself  remarkable  for  reli- 
gious zeal,  either  as  a  convert  or  as  a  natural-horn 
disciple  of  the  Romish  Church.  It  is  believed  that 
on  quitting  the  Universities  he  travelled  through 
France,  Spain,  Italy,  and  the  Netherlands,  and  that  on 
his  return  from  this  tour  he  was  appointed  Aulic- 
Councillor  of  the  Empire.  He  was,  at  any  rate,  at  the 
capital  when  hostilities  first  broke  out  in  the  religious 
war  in  1618,  when  his  partisan  fervour  and  enthu- 
siasm led  him  to  take  up  arms,  and  to  enrol  himself 
among  the  most  devoted  adherents  of  the  Catholic 
League  and  the  Imperial  power.  He  served  his  first 
campaign  in  the  Valtalina,  and  performed  wonders  at 
the  siege  of  Chiavenna.  It  is  probable,  from  many 
circumstances  combined,  that  he  received  a  high  mili- 
tary rank  very  soon ;  but  at  any  rate  he  was  present 
in  some  command,  and  was  wounded,  at  the  battle  of 
Prague,  in  1620,  where  he  obtained  the  reputation  of  a 
brave  soldier  and  considerable  military  renown.  This 
anecdote  has  been  preserved  of  him, — that,  when  left 
for  dead  on  the  field,  he  firmly  believed  himself  to  be 
already  in  Purgatory,  inasmuch  as  he  was  not  conscious 
that  he  shared  either  the  pleasures  of  heaven  or  the 
pains  of  hell. 
Takes  the  However,  he  recovered  from  his  wounds,  and  lived 
field  to  fight  again  ;  and  we  next  hear  of  him  in  1630,  after 

Swedes  th° the  Kin&  of  Sweden  had  !anded  with  his  army  in 
Germany,  and  against  whom  he  was  sent  by  the  Elec- 
tor of  Bavaria,  at  the  head  of  6000  men,  to  assist 
Torquato  de  Conti  and  Duke  Savelli  in  Brandenburg. 
He  there  encountered  Duke  Christian  William,  who 
appeared  in  the  field  as  Administrator  of  the  Duchy  of 
Magdeburg.  Pappenheim,  the  most  decisive  and  active 
general  of  those  days,  soon  compelled  such  a  novice  in 
war,  as  this  old  prince  was,  to  contract  the  conquests 
he  had  made,  and  at  length  reduced  him  to  shelter  his 
troops  within  the  walls  of  that  city,  round  which  he 
formed  as    strict  a  blockade    as   his  force   permitted. 


COUNT    VON    PAPPENHEIM.  225 

But  Tilly,  who  commanded  all  the  several  armies 
in  those  parts,  and  was  now  advancing  against 
Gustavus,  ordered  Pappenheim  to  march  away  from 
Magdeburg  against  the  Duke  Francis  Charles  of  Saxe- 
Lauenberg,  who  had  enlisted  a  body  of  soldiers  in  the 
districts  around  Hamburg  and  Lubeck,  and  was  acting 
in  the  interests  of  the  exiled  Duke  of  Mecklenburg. 
Pappenheim,  who  is  said  to  have  exceeded  most  generals 
in  the  art  of  speedy  marches,  with  great  secrecy  of 
enterprise,  appeared  suddenly  before  Ratzburg,  a  place 
of  residence  belonging  to  the  family  of  Lauenberg, 
where  he  had  secured  the  bridge,  and  the  portcullis 
that  defended  it,  before  he  was  perceived  by  the  garri- 
son ;  upon  which  the  reigning  Duke,  who  was  afraid  to 
exasperate  the  Emperor,  sent  his  brother  Francis 
Charles  to  demand  a  truce,  which  was  granted  to  him, 
and  he  was  admitted  into  the  palace  with  the  generous 
promise  that  the  family  should  not  be  injured  for  their 
conduct  in  taking  up  arms. 

Gustavus  Adolphus  had  in  the  mean  while  advanced 
from  conquest  to  conquest,  had  secured  Stettin,  Frank- 
fort, and  Landsberg,  and  had  no  Imperialist  army 
left  to  oppose  him.  Pappenheim,  who  seldom  saw 
matters  in  a  dejected  and  desponding  spirit,  now 
wrote  to  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  "  that  the  Emperor 
must  fall,  unless  the  whole  united  Catholic  body  sup- 
ported him  with  all  their  money  and  forces ;  that 
Gustavus  was  already  arbiter  of  the  fate  of  Germany  ; 
that  Frankfort  and  Landsberg  were  both  in  his  pos- 
session ;  and  that  His  Swedish  Majesty  might  raise  the 
siege  of  Magdeburg,  as  there  was  no  sufficient  Impe- 
rial army  to  oppose  him."  He  accordingly  demanded 
armies  and  money  with  much  earnestness  both  for 
Tilly  and  himself. 

As  soon  as  Pappenheim  had  frustrated  the  attempt 
of  the  Duke  of  Lauenberg  to  impede  the  siege  of 
Magdeburg,  he  returned  to  that  city,  drove  the  troops 
of  the  Administrator  from  their  intrenchments,   and 

Q 


220  OODFBET    HENBY, 

closely  invested  the  place.  He  was  soon  followed  by 
Tilly,  who  forthwith  called  on  the  Elector  of  Saxony 
to  order  Magdeburg  to  be  surrendered  to  him  for  the 
Emperor.  Pappenbeim,  acting  probably  under  the 
orders  of  his  superior,  addressed  himself  to  Count 
Falkenberg,  an  experienced  officer, — whom  the  King 
of  Sweden  had  sent  into  Magdeburg  to  assist  the 
Administrator  in  his  defence  of  the  town, — and  made 
that  officer  an  offer  by  letter  of  a  large  sum  of  money, 
and  the  title  of  Count  of  the  Empire,  if  he  would  sur- 
render the  place.  Falkenberg  ordered  the  trumpeter 
who  brought  in  this  communication  into  his  presence, 
and,  without  writing  any  reply,  sent  back  this  verbal 
answer  in  the  presence  of  all  his  officers,  "  That  General 
Pappenheim  might  find  the  sort  of  men  he  wanted  at 
home,  but  that  Falkenberg  was  not  a  person  of  that 
character  ;  and,"  he  added,  "  mind,  whoever  comes  here 
again  on  such  an  errand,  shall  receive  a  halter  instead 
of  a  gold  chain,"  which  in  those  days  was  the  present  of 
honour.  In  the  mean  time,  on  the  30th  of  March, 
1031,  Tilly  sat  down  before  Magdeburg,  and  pushed 
the  siege  of  it  with  vigour.  An  outwork  called 
"  Pappenheim's  Fort,"  signifying  that  it  was  of  such 
strength  as  to  be  worthy  of  attack  by  that  general, 
was  speedily  taken  sword  in  hand  ;  and  other  outworks 
soon  followed.  One  called  the  "  Tollsconce,"  which 
commanded  the  bridge,  was  defended  vigorously,  and 
cost  the  Imperialists  500  men ;  nevertheless,  though 
defended  by  Falkenberg  himself,  it  could  not  be  held, 
and  was  yielded  up  after  destroying  the  bridge.  The 
suburbs  of  Sudenberg  and  Neustadt  were  now  also 
abandoned  to  the  enemy ;  and  Tilly,  dividing  the 
attack,  sent  Pappenheim  across  the  Elbe  at  Schonen- 
beck,  to  attack  the  city  from  the  opposite  side ;  and  in 
the  rencontre  which  this  brought  on  with  the  besieged 
Pappenheim  was  like  to  have  been  killed  or  taken 
prisoner. 

The   siege  continued  with   various  fortune  into  the 


COUNT    TON    PAPPENUEIM.  227 

month  of  May,  when  the  ammunition  of  the  besieged 
was  nearly  expended,  and  the  cannon  of  the  town 
gradually  ceased  to  reply  to  the  fire  of  the  Imperialists. 
On  the  9th  the  fire  of  the  besiegers  suddenly  stopped, 
and  cannon  were  seen  to  be  withdrawn  from  several  of 
the  batteries.  A  death-like  stillness  and  suspense  fell 
upon  the  town  with  almost  insupportable  heaviness. 
The  besieged,  convinced  that  deliverance  was  at  hand, 
quitted  their  posts,  and,  after  long  toils,  indulged  in  the 
refreshment  of  sleep.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  Tilly 
intended  to  work  this  delusion  upon  them.  Between 
the  9th  and  10th,  at  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
Pappenheim  was  summoned  over  the  river  to  a  council 
of  war  at  the  Generalissimo's  quarters.  With  a  most 
insatiate  appetite  for  danger  and  fighting,  and  with 
the  habit  of  thought  that  many  things  were  done  by 
the  mere  resolution  to  do  them,  Pappenheim,  with  a 
majority,  pronounced  for  an  assault,  which  was  ordered 
for  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  General  was 
ordered  to  attack  the  works  of  the  new  town,  where  the 
attempt  would  be  favoured  by  a  sloping  rampart  and  a 
dry  ditch  of  moderate  depth.  His  personal  courage  made 
him  always  the  darling  of  the  soldiers.  He  now  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  regiments  of  Pappenheim, 
Savelli,  and  Gronsfeld,  and  of  all  the  cavalry,  whom  he 
ordered  to  dismount  and  follow  him.  He  easily  forced 
the  city  soldiers  out  of  the  fausse  braye,  and  obliged 
them  to  retreat  behind  the  upper  wall.  He  had  taken 
the  precaution  of  ordering  each  soldier  to  wear  a  white 
ribbon  round  the  arm,  that  he  might  be  recognized  in 
the  confusion,  and  gave  the  watchword  (which  was 
afterwards  used  at  Leipzig)  "  Jesu  Maria."  The 
Imperialists  under  Pappenheim  were  here  encountered 
by  Falkenberg  himself,  at  the  head  of  all  the  troops 
he  could  collect  together ;  and  the  assailants  were 
repulsed  and  driven  beyond  the  new  work,  but  the 
Swedish  governor  was  unfortunately  mortally  wounded, 
and  carried  back  into  the  town :  the  roaring  of  mus- 

Q  2 


228  GODFREY   HENTttY, 

ketry,  the  pealing  of  the  alarm-hells,  and  the  growing 
tumult,  had  awakened  the  citizens,  who,  hastily  arming 
themselves,  rushed  hlindly  against  the  enemy.  But 
whether  their  ammunition  failed  them,  or  that  the 
news  of  the  death  of  the  governor  had  transpired, 
Pappenheim  perceiving  their  courage  to  fail  pushed 
forward,  and  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  tri- 
umphantly entered  the  streets.  He  then  opened  the 
gates,  and  admitted  the  divisions  of  Holstein  and 
Mansfeld  into  the  town,  which  was  soon  in  the 
hands  of  the  Imperialists. 

The  Administrator,  who  had  acted  with  great  cou- 
rage, and  had  received  many  wounds,  was  found  by 
Pappenheim  at  this  juncture  most  ignominiously 
treated,  and  stripped  naked ;  and  he  would  have  been 
barbarously  murdered,  but  for  the  General's  humanity, 
who  ordered  him  to  be  taken  up  and  carried  on  two 
pikes  to  his  tent ;  and  on  the  following  day  he  was 
sent  on  a  couch  to  Wolmerstadt,  attended  by  his  own 
surgeon  and  chaplain.  This  merciful  conduct  may 
appear  to  justify  Pappenheim  from  being  the  author  or 
even  the  abettor  of  the  monstrous  scene  of  cruelty 
which  followed  on  the  occupation  of  Magdeburg  by 
Tilly's  army  of  ImperiaHsts. 

Tilly  and         The  entrance  of  the  Generals  on  the  14th  had  at 
appeiv      lengfch  put  a  stop  to  the  sack  of  the  place ;  and  Tilly, 

counter       after  the   performance  of  a  Te   Deum   and  a  solemn 

QuBtayus     mass  [n  the  cathedral,  notified  the  fate  of  Magrdeburcr 
Adolphus  .  B  & 

at  Leipzig,  to  the  Protestant   Princes  in  the  tone  of  a  conqueror. 

Many  submitted  at  once  under  the  general  consterna- 
tion ;  but  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  was  of  a  different 
temper,  not  easily  intimidated,  and  one  of  the  most 
powerful  of  the  Leipzig  Confederation,  and  Tilly  re- 
solved to  endeavour  to  bring  him  under  submission ; 
accordingly,  leaving  Pappenheim  in  command  at 
Magdeburg,  he  marched  straight  into  Thuringia.  He 
had  not  gone  from  the  city  long,  when  the  approach  of 
the  Swedish  vanguard  as  near  as  the   monastery   of 


COUNT    VON    PAPPENHEIM. 

Jericho,  apprised  Pappenheim  that  the  King  of  Sweden 
was  approaching ;  who,  in  fact,  came  down  inconti- 
nently to  the  very  hridge  of  Magdeburg,  and  forced  the 
Imperialist  garrison  to  retire  within  the  city.  Tilly 
was  not  far  off,  having  only  reached  Mulhausen,  and 
Pappenheim  anxiously  wrote  to  him,  earnestly  requiring 
him  to  return  by  rapid  marches  to  Magdeburg.  Tilly 
immediately  came  back  to  Leipzig,  which  he  forthwith 
summoned  to  receive  an  Imperial  garrison ;  and,  the 
timid  governor  having  opened  its  gates  on  the  second 
day,  he  ordered  Pappenheim  to  join  him  there ;  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  7th  of  September  the  Imperialist 
and  Swedish  armies  came  in  sight  of  each  other  on 
the  plain  of  Breitenfeld,  not  far  from  Leipzig. 

It  has  been  said,  that  Pappenheim  was  the  only  one 
of  his  opponents  whom  the  King  of  Sweden  regarded 
as  a  soldier,  and  that  he  feared  none  of  their  Generals 
excepting  this  "  Balafre,"  as  he  called  him  ;  for  although 
of  the  same  age  as  Gustavus,  who  had  only  just  entered 
his  thirty-seventh  year,  yet  he  had  earned  a  reputation, 
and  already  carried  on  his  body  the  marks  of  a  hundred 
wounds.  Tilly  would  now  even  have  deferred  a  fight, 
as  he  was  expecting  reinforcements ;  but  the  impe- 
tuosity of  Pappenlieim  obliged  him  as  soon  as  the 
enemy  was  in  sight  to  alter  his  plans.  In  the  council 
of  war  that  was  held  on  the  occasion  our  hero  even 
dared  to  impeach  the  courage  of  the  Generalissimo, 
which  touched  to  the  very  quick  the  sensibility  of 
the  veteran  of  thirty-five  successful  actions.  The  old 
man  nevertheless  determined  in  his  own  mind  not  to 
bring  on  a  general  engagement.  There  was,  however, 
a  little  rivulet  and  dirty  swamp,  where  only  a  few  men 
could  pass  in  front,  near  a  small  village,  called  Podel- 
witz,  on  the  Loder.  As  soon  as  Pappenheim  saw  the 
Swedish  and  Saxon  troops  advancing  into  this  defile, 
he  advanced  against  them  at  the  head  of  2000  cuiras- 
siers, and  attacked  the  vanguard,  which,  after  a  brief 
struggle,  was  forced  to  retreat.  Tilly  saw  this  inci- 
dent with  vexation,  but  quickly  descending  from  the 


GOiu  ui  \    iii.m;\. 

eminence  on  which  he  had  placed  himself,  though  much 
discomposed  at  it  in  his  mind,  he  commanded  his  troops 
to  advance  in  support  of  Pappenheim  with  so  much 
ardour  and  precipitation,  that  he  himself  was  left  with- 
out the  support  of  a  proper  body  of  reserve.  When 
Pappenheim  was  informed  that  his  wing  was  unsup- 
ported by  any  reserve,  he  appeared  to  hold  the  defect 
cheap ;  but  Gustavus  saw  the  fault,  and  pushed  his 
onset  against  him  so  vigorously  as  to  thrust  him  quite 
out  of  the  line ;  but  the  Imperialist  General  returning 
to  the  charge  seven  times,  and  compelling  Baner  to 
come  up  to  the  King's  assistance,  was  at  length  obliged 
to  send  to  the  Generalissimo  for  2000  fresh  horsemen. 
Notwithstanding  this  assistance,  however,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  turn  about  and  flee  with  great  loss,  and  to 
abandon  the  field  to  the  conqueror.  In  the  confusion 
Pappenheim  came  up  with  sixteen  troops  of  horse,  near 
the  city  of  Leipzig,  and  having  mounted  a  fresh  horse, 
led  these  again  forward  against  the  Swedes  for  a  final 
effort ;  but  the  attempt  not  succeeding,  he  marched 
them  away  from  the  field,  and  conducted  them  to 
Mansfeld,  where  he  first  heard  of  the  defeat  of  the 
army,  and  of  the  Generalissimo,  who  was  reported  to 
have  been  killed  in  the  battle. 

We  do  not  hear  of  Pappenheim  again  until  the  King 
was  at  Mayence,  carrying  on  his  negotiations  with 
France,  when,  either  not  knowing  of  the  truce  that 
had  been  established,  or  disregarding  it,  he  is  found 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Spanish  army  that  marched  up  to 
the  assistance  of  the  Catholic  League.  He  afterwards 
commanded  an  army  of  the  League  in  Lower  Saxony, 
where  he  came  across  the  troops  of  the  Landgrave  of 
Hesse  Cassel,  and  gave  them  some  disagreeable  checks 
here  and  there ;  and,  being  ubiquitary  at  this  period, 
he  dexterously  availed  himself  of  the  misunderstanding 
among  the  commanders  that  very  nearly  detached  the 
King  of  Denmark  from  the  Swedish  alliance.  He 
afterwards  gave  battle  to  the  Swedish  General  Todt,  and 
compelled  him  to  raise  the  siege  of  Stadcn.  into  which 


COUNT    TON    PAPPENHEIM.  231 

place  he  introduced  three  regiments,  who  succeeded  in 

getting  across  the  river   Schwinga  hy  some   portable 

bridges  of  his  own  invention.     It  must  be  remembered, 

that  all  this  time  there  was  in  fact  no  Imperial  army. 

A   very    singular    incident    regarding    Pappenheim  Pappcn- 

comes  about  this  time  into  story  from  the  pages  of  tem.)t(^  to 

Harte's  History  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  ; — no  less  than  join  the 

an  offer  from  the  Infanta  Governess  of  the  Netherlands  >-Pamsn 

army. 

to  tempt  him  from  the  Imperial  service  into  that  of 
Spain  by  great  pecuniary  advantages,  supposed  to  have 
equalled  £16,000  sterling,  together  with  the  order  of 
the  Golden  Fleece.  It  does  not  appear  that  any  pre- 
vious application  had  been  made  to  the  Court  of  Vienna 
upon  the  subject ;  but  that  it  was  addressed  to  the 
General  direct,  when  in  command  of  the  Imperial  army 
near  Hanover.  It  would  appear  as  if  men  in  command 
of  armies  in  those  days  acted  quite  upon  their  own 
discretion  ;  so  that,  turning  a  deaf  ear  to  the  requests 
of  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  and  treating  with  contempt 
the  commands  of  Tdly  or  Wallenstein,  Pappenheim 
thought  he  saw  a  new  path  opened  to  his  ambition  by 
the  Infanta's  proposal,  and  forthwith  acted  upon  it. 
Having,  therefore,  put  good  garrisons  in  the  strongest 
towns  at  his  devotion,  he  left  a  part  of  his  army  under 
Gronsfeld  to  preserve  the  circles  of  Lower  Saxony  and 
Westphalia  in  their  obedience,  and,  with  12,000  foot 
and  3000  horse,  he  marched  off  to  Cologne,  collecting 
contributions  for  their  support  as  he  proceeded  through 
the  district  of  Dortmund  and  Essen.  The  Elector 
connived  at  his  entrance  into  his  capital  city,  which 
gave  him  a  passage  across  the  Rhine ;  and  thence, 
without  meeting  with  any  interruption,  he  proceeded 
through  Aachen,  and  crossed  the  Meuse  at  Sittart. 
The  Prince  of  Orange  was  near  Maestricht ;  and 
General  Pappenheim  essayed  to  join  himself  with  a 
Spanish  army,  under  Don  Gonsalvo  di  Cordova  and  the 
Marquis  de  Santa  Croce,  in  order  to  fall  upon  the 
Dutch  army.  After  a  march  which,  from  its  rapidity 
and  success,  could  hardly  be  paralleled,  it  was  not  with- 


232  (.ODFEEV    HENRY, 

out  considerable  mortification  that  he  found  these  two 
solemn  and  punctilious  grandees  resolved  to  postpone 
their  master's  honour  to  their  own  personal  conse- 
quence. It  was  death  to  their  Castilian  pride  to  find 
a  general  coming  out  of  the  East  ready  to  fight, — which 
was  not  at  all  their  intention, —  and  assuming  to  super- 
sede them  there  in  their  independent  command.  They 
responded  to  his  proposals  coldly,  and  with  an  air  of 
irony  observed,  "that  their  Catholic  Master  did  not 
require  '  reiters  and  lasquenets  '  '  to  pave  their  way  into 
Maestricht."  Pappenheim  felt  their  insolence,  and  saw 
into  what  a  snare  he  had  fallen ;  but  he  resolved  at  any 
rate  to  attempt  something,  even  although  it  should 
prove  his  utter  inability  to  perform  a  greater  feat. 
He  examined  the  Dutch  position  on  the  Wych,  and 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  7th  August  he  set  in  order 
his  little  army  to  break  through  it  sword  in  hand.  A 
forlorn  hope  of  100  picked  men,  armed  with  swords  and 
carbines,  carried  in  their  hands  fascines  and  ladders, 
and  were  accompanied  by  a  body  of  pioneers  with 
spades  and  pickaxes.  Two  regiments  in  array  formed 
the  support ;  and  the  rest,  infantry  and  cavalry,  fol- 
lowed in  compact  order.  No  general  had  ever  made  a 
finer  disposition  for  its  purpose  than  this  advance  to  an 
attack  of  a  strong  position  by  Pappenheim,  who  moved 
himself  among  the  foremost,  under  such  a  fire  from 
the  Dutch  works  of  artillery  and  musketry,  as  would 
have  been  deemed  by  most  soldiers  insupportable.  But 
no  courage  could  succeed  against  great  odds  both  of 
armed  men  and  strong  intrenchments,  when  the  Spanish 
army,  26,000  strong,  kept  close  to  their  works,  and  did 
not  budge  an  inch  to  save  their  comrade.  At  length, 
after  more  than  ten  hours'  desperate  service,  and 
after  eight  or  ten  fruitless  attacks,  the  Imperialist 
General  was  forced  to  sound  a  retreat,  pitying  his 
faithful  and  attached  Germans,  and  pouring  forth  bitter 
invectives  against  the  malevolent  and  insolent  Casti- 


1  Two  old  words  for  German  cavalry  and  infantry. 


COUNT   VON   PAPPENHEIM.  233 

lians.  He  left  2000  of  his  best  soldiers  dead  on  the 
field,  and  most  of  his  most  valued  officers  were  killed 
or  maimed.  Indeed  both  Pappenheim  himself  and  the 
horse  he  rode  were  wounded  in  many  places  ;  but  Prince 
Henry,  who  commanded  the  Dutch  army,  was  con- 
tented with  his  escape,  and  did  not  deem  it  safe  to 
pursue  him  a  single  step.  However,  it  was  useless 
for  Pappenheim  to  pursue  any  further  military  ope- 
rations in  the  Low  Countries,  under  the  circum- 
stances in  which  he  found  himself;  and  at  the  end 
of  six  weeks  he  had  again  returned  to  Westphalia, 
where  Gronsfeld  greatly  needed  his  assistance.  This 
campaign  of  Pappenheim  beyond  the  Rhine  deserves 
more  consideration  than  it  appears  to  have  received 
(for  it  is  not  noticed,  I  think,  in  Schiller's  History), 
because  it  is  probable  that  the  Golden  Fleece,  and  the 
favour  of  the  Infanta  Isabella  haunted  his  imagination 
very  strongly  when,  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Lutzen, 
he  obtained  permission  from  Wallenstein  to  march  away 
from  the  projected  winter-quarters  in  Misnia,  to  hasten 
to  Halle,  on  his  march  back  to  Cologne.  There  is  reason 
to  believe,  however,  that  Pappenheim  was  not  a  man  to 
have  been  swayed  by  money  and  honours ;  but  he  fancied 
he  saw  a  new  path  opened  to  glory,  that  might  enable 
him  the  better  to  rival  the  reputation  of  Gustavus, 
Tilly,  and  Wallenstein. 

But,  not   to    anticipate   events,   it  has  first  to  be  Pappen- 
related  that,  after  refreshing  his  army,  now  reinfoi-ced    e™ e,.ec  s 
with  that  of  Gronsfeld,  he  resolved  to  attack  Bauditzen,  with  Wal- 
whom  he  compelled  to  cross  the  Weser  on  the  20th  leustein- 
September ;  and,  following  after  him,  compelled  also  the 
Duke  of  Lunenburg  to  raise  the  siege  of  Wolfenbuttel. 
The  Confederate  generals  had  been  every  where  making 
great  progress  during  his  absence  ;  and  both  the  Elector 
of  Bavaria  and  Wallenstein  had  expedited  many  ex- 
presses, which  met  him  on  the  road,  urging  his  presence 
in  the  Imperial  camp  near  Nuremberg.     He  therefore 
passed  through  Hildesheim, — where  he  exacted  a  heavy 
contribution,  —and  pushed  on  to  Mulhausen,  which  he 


231  GODFEEI    EENBT, 

also  laid  under  tribute.  J I  is  march  was  perilous  and 
extraordinary ;  for  lie  was  constantly  in  the  vicinity  of 
Swedish  generals  and  adherents,  who,  however,  durst 
not  attempt  to  stop  the  impetuous  career  of  the  Im- 
perialist General.  At  length  he  came  up  with  Wallen- 
stein's  army,  with  which  he  effected  a  junction  at 
Mersehurg  on  the  28th  October. 

The  high  military  reputation  of  Pappenheim,  and 
the  extraordinary  power  he  possessed,  through  his  bold, 
strong  sense,  of  influencing  men  in  military  affairs, 
overcame  the  sullen  reserve  and  habitual  impractica- 
bility of  Wallenstein,  and  induced  that  great  leader  to 
adopt  a  new  system  of  operations : — this  was,  to  cross 
the  Saale  without  delay,  and  to  occupy  "Weimar  and 
Erfurt,  and  the  principal  debouches  out  of  the  forest 
of  Thuringia.  But  before  this  undertaking  could  be 
carried  out,  news  was  brought  that  the  King  of  Sweden 
had  already  arrived  with  his  army  on  the  banks  of  the 
Saale.  The  Generalissimo  forthwith  sent  couriers  to 
recall  10,000  troops,  who  had  been  sent  under  Galas 
towards  Bohemia,  and  took  other  measures  to  collect 
an  army  of  40,000  men,  with  no  contemptible  train 
of  heavy  artillery ;  for  he  did  not  apprehend  that 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  who  had  brought  up  with  him  no 
more  than  18,000  men,  would  have  the  confidence  to 
undertake  the  offensive  against  such  a  force,  which 
had  a  perfect  choice  of  ground  on  which  to  intrench 
themselves. 
Pappen-  It  would  seem  that  the  Government  of  the  Infanta 

Isabella  had  in  some  degree  explained  away,  or  apolo- 
gized for,  the  conduct  of  the  Spanish  generals ;  or,  at 
any  rate,  that  fresh  offers  had  been  made  to  Pappen- 
heim to  induce  him  to  transfer  his  army  once  again  to 
maintain  a  check  upon  the  Dutch  aggressions,  which 
now  threatened  the  important  city  of  Cologne,  and  its 
bridge  upon  the  Rhine.  Otherwise  it  is  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  understand  what  could  have  influenced  Pap- 
penheim, at  the  particular  juncture  that  followed 
the    foregoing    advice    to    the   Generalissimo,    to    put 


1  n-i m  takes 
Halle, 


COUNT    VON    PAPPENHEIM.  235 

the  Imperial  army  into  winter-quarters,  and  to  per- 
mit him  to  march  away  with  a  great  portion  of  it 
with  orders  to  take  possession  of  Maritzhurg,  in  the 
territory  of  Halle,  and  to  proceed  with  all  haste  to 
secure  possession  of  the  Electoral  city.  At  all  events, 
Pappenheim  marched  away  on  the  4th  November,  and 
took  possession  of  the  town  of  Halle.  Wallenstein 
was  utterly  thunderstruck  at  the  audacious  movement 
of  Gustavus  against  him  on  the  5th  ;  for,  after  sending 
away  Pappenheim's  army,  he  had  little  more  than 
12,000  men  to  oppose  to  the  King's  20,000.  Mes- 
sengers were,  however,  hastily  sent  to  recall  the  detach- 
ment ;  and,  as  Halle  was  only  five  German  miles  distant, 
the  Generalissimo  thought  he  could  maintain  his  ground 
in  the  wide  plain  between  the  Canal  and  Lutzen  until 
the  return  of  the  detached  force. 

It  happened  untowardly,  that  when  Wallenstein' s  Pappen- 

messenerers  found  Pappenheim  at  Halle,  his  foot  soldiers  neiin  ^ 

°  *  *  '  mortally 

had  dispersed  round  about  that  town  and  Merseburg  in  wounded 

quest  of  plunder ;  so  that  in  the  emergency  of  the  in  action- 
moment  he  could  only  assemble  his  cuirassiers  and 
dragoons,  who  did  not  all  together  exceed  7000  com- 
batants ;  but  at  their  head  he  at  once  galloped  at  full 
speed  for  Lutzen,  to  share  in  the  battle.  He  arrived  in 
time  to  witness  the  flight  of  1000  German  cavalry,  who 
had  been  seized  with  a  panic,  and  were  in  the  act  of 
being  pursued  by  Gustavus  Horn  when  Pappenheim 
met  them.  With  ready  presence  of  mind  he  rallied 
the  flying  troops,  and  led  them  once  more  against 
the  enemy.  Carried  away  by  his  wild  bravery,  and 
impatient  to  encounter  the  King  (of  whose  death  he 
was  not  yet  apprised,  and  whom  he  supposed  to  be 
opposite  the  Imperial  right  wing),  he  burst  furiously 
upon  the  Swedish  ranks,  which,  exhausted  by  victory, 
and  inferior  in  numbers,  were  after  a  noble  resistance 
overpowered  by  this  fresh  body  of  assailants.  Pappen- 
heim's unexpected  appearance  revived  the  drooping 
courage  of  the  Imperialists ;  for  the  name  of  that  com- 


23G 

mander  was  sufficient  to  revive  their  ardour  at  any 
moment  of  danger,  since,  though  the  succour  lie  brought 
was  short  in  numbers,  his  cavalry  was  the  best  seasoned 
of  all  that  served  under  the  ensigns  of  the  League. 
The  Duke  of  Friedland  quickly  re-formed  his  line,  and 
might  be  seen  with  cool  intrepidity  riding  tlirough  the 
ranks  amidst  showers  of  balls.  Piccolomini,  at  the 
head  of  other  Imperial  cavalry,  with  equal  intrepidity, 
had  seven  horses  shot  under  him,  and  was  pierced  with 
six  balls.  But  while  Pappenhehn  was  making  his  dis- 
positions at  the  head  of  the  right  wing,  he  received  a 
stroke  from  a  falcon-shot,  that  shattered  his  thigh. 
The  wound  stunned  him  for  a  few  moments ;  but  when 
he  recovered  his  senses,  he  instantly  perceived  that  it 
was  the  stroke  of  death.  A  coach  conveyed  him  out 
of  the  battle,  and  his  chaplain,  whom  he  immediately 
sent  for,  attended  him  to  the  Castle  of  Pleissenberg  in 
Leipzig. 
His  last  He  sent  an  adjutant  to  Wallenstein,  with  this  com- 

wonls  and   manaV  "  Tell  him  that  what  I  have  received  is  enough 

death 

for  my  purpose ;  but  tell  him  also  that  I  have  pre- 
served the  Catholic  religion,  and  rendered  the  Emperor 
a  freeman."  He  had  heard  on  his  road  a  murmur  that 
ran  through  the  ranks,  that  he  whom  he  had  so  eagerly 
sought  to  meet  was  already  dead  on  the  plain.  When 
the  truth  of  the  report  was  confirmed  to  him,  his  look 
became  brighter,  and  his  dying  eye  sparkled  with  a 
last  gleam  of  joy.  "  You  may  add  to  the  Duke  of 
Friedland,"  said  he  to  his  adjutant,  "  that  I  lie  without 
hope  of  life ;  but  that  I  die  happy,  since  I  know  that 
the  implacable  enemy  of  my  religion  has  fallen  the 
same  day."  He  then  faced  death  with  the  same  tran- 
quillity in  his  bed  as  he  had  done  on  innumerable  occa- 
sions on  the  field  of  battle ;  and  having  been  born  in 
the  same  year  with  Gustavus,  he  now  sank,  having 
only  exceeded  his  great  rival  in  age  by  about  six  months 
and  a  few  days.  It  is  said,  that  while  lying  on  his  bed 
in  the  last  agonies  of  life,  the  wonderful  mark  on  the 


COUNT    VON    PAPPENIIEIM.  237 

forehead  of  the  General,  which  the  superstition  of  his 
co-religionists  had  noticed  in  his  cradle,  came  out  again 
with  renewed  and  singular  clearness. 

Pappenheim  was  not  only  a  contemporary  of  Gus-  His  cha- 
tavus,  hut  he  affected  to  resemble  him  in  all  things,  racter- 
— in  the  similitude  of  his  nativity  and  horoscope,  in  the 
manner  of  adjusting  his  hair,  in  riding  a  white  palfrey, 
as  well  as  in  bravery  and  judgment ;  but,  what  was 
indeed  more  difficult,  he  did  indeed  resemble  the  King 
of  Sweden  in  good  morals  and  piety.  Schiller  calls  him 
"  the  Telamon  of  the  army,  the  bravest  soldier  of  Aus- 
tria and  the  Church."  He  was  a  wonderful  soldier ; 
ever  foi'emost  in  the  charge  and  crisis  of  a  battle ;  and 
his  body  was,  as  has  been  related,  gashed  and  seamed  by 
above  a  hundred  wounds.  He  received  fourteen  wounds 
in  the  two  battles  of  Leipzig  and  Prague  alone  ;  and  he 
had  shared  in  forty-four  other  battles  and  rencounters. 
He  was  most  in  his  glory  at  the  head  of  a  charge  of 
■  cavalry.  He  obtained  from  the  Emperor  the  title  of 
Count,  with  the  addition  of  "  Illustrissimo,"  for  his 
services,  and  should  have  received  the  order  of  the 
Golden  Fleece,  which  had  been  promised  him  for  his 
expedition  into  the  Netherlands.  Gustavus  Adolphus 
always  held  Pappenheim  in  the  greatest  respect,  not 
only  for  his  personal  intrepidity,  but  for  his  inventive 
genius  in  marches,  attacks,  and  stratagems. 

Gustavus  and  Pappenheim  were  the  most  moral  and  His  high 
religious  persons  in  the  respective  armies  ;  and  it  may  mo}'a}  an<* 
safely  be  affirmed,  in    opposition   to    a  very   popular  principles, 
notion  to  the  contrary,  that  the  religious  and  good  Effect  of 
man   stands  the  best  chance  to  be  the   bravest  too.  theSmih-°n 
Moderation,  humanity,  decorum,  order,  and,  above  all,  tary  cha- 
the  efficiency  of  a  good  example,  are  unquestionably  racter- 
military  virtues  and  qualities  that  should  be  prescribed 
to  the  profession  of  a  warrior.    "Wicked  men,  doubtless, 
have  been  often  found  very  brave,  yet  such  can  never 
contemplate  death  as  seriously  and  composedly  as  one 
who  regards  it  with  resignation  and  (I  may  add)  reli- 


23S  GODFItV.Y    IIKNI;\.   COUNT   vox   pappentteim. 

gious  faith.  A  courage  prompted  by  passion  onl\-,  and 
not  by  the  judgment,  must  be  hurried  and  agitated 
more  or  less.  The  fire  will  be  fierce,  but  not  clear  ;  and 
the  excitement  counterworks  that  presence  of  mind, 
which  is,  after  all, the  greatest  attribute  in  any  leader2. 
The  famous  Prussian  General,  Zieten,  was  also  a 
bright  example  of  a  religious  hero.  His  piety  was  nei- 
ther mechanical  nor  servile  :  his  sentiments  upon  all  re- 
ligious subjects  were  pure  and  simple.  He  considered  it 
as  the  homage  of  the  creature  to  the  Supreme  Creator, 
not  in  the  craven  spirit  of  seeking  to  appease  the 
Divine  wrath,  or  of  truckling  to  Providence  for  some 
personal  preservation  or  advantage.  As  long  as  his 
health  permitted,  he  was  a  constant  frequenter  of 
public  worship,  and  at  no  time  was  he  neglectful 
of  the  duty  of  private  prayer ;  so  that,  when  once 
twitted  by  a  young  prince  for  his  methodism,  he  re- 
plied in  the  wrords  addressed  to  Conde  by  De  Navailles, 
"  Your  Highness,  I  fancy,  sees  now  that  those  who 
pray  to  God  behave  as  well  in  a  battle  as  their  neigh- 
bours." There  is,  nevertheless,  nothing  that  is  good 
for  us,  in  any  degree,  that  may  not  degenerate  into 
abuse  or  absurdity.  Dr.  Moore,  the  traveller,  relates 
the  practice  adopted  in  one  of  the  small  German  courts 
to  brine:  the  devotions  of  the  soldier  under  the  direc- 
tion  of  the  superior  officer.  The  following  is  given  as 
part  of  the  military  manoeuvres  at  the  guai'd  mounting 
at  Manheim  :  "  The  major  flourishes  his  cane  :  the 
drum  gives  a  single  tap,  and  every  man  under  arms 
raises  his  hand  to  his  hat.  At  the  second  stroke  of 
the  drum  they  take  off  their  hats,  and  are  supposed  to 
pray.  At  a  third  they  are  considered  to  have  finished 
their  petitions,  and  put  on  their  hats  ;  but  if  any  man 
has  the  assurance  to  protract  his  prayer  a  minute 
longer  than  the  drum  indicates,  he  is  punished  on  the 
spot,  and  taught  to  be  less  devout  for  the  future." 

2  Hartc;  Schiller;  Biographie  Universelle. 


ALBBECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN, 

WALSTEIN, 

OB  WALLENSTEIN, 

AN  IMPERIAL  GENERAL,  DUKE  OF  FRIEDLAND, 
SAGAN,  GLOGAU,  AND  MECKLENBURG. 


Bora  1583.     Died  1631. 


This  renowned  and  extraordinary  man  was  the  son  of  His  birth, 

a  Moravian  Baron,  and  was  born  at  his  father's  Castle  Parenta*e> 

.  .  and  eai'ly 

of  Hermamc,  m  that  province,  and  came  of  the  ancient  education. 

race  of  Waldstein,  well  known  in  the  annals  of  the 
kingdom  of  Bohemia.  His  mother  belonged  to  a 
family  which  had  adopted  the  principles  of  the  Refor- 
mation, and  doubtless  Albrecht  was  a  Protestant  up  to 
his  fourteenth  year,  when,  having  lost  both  father  and 
mother,  he  was  admitted  into  the  Jesuits'  College  at 
Olmutz,  where  he  was  perverted  to  the  Roman  faith. 
He  began  life  as  a  page  to  the  Markgraf  of  Burgau, 
son  of  the  Archduke,  who  was  afterwards  the  Emperor 
Ferdinand,  and  was  remarkable   in   his   youth  for  a 


240  AT/BRECTTT    VOS    WALDSTETN. 

stubborn,  proud,  and  aspiring  disposition,  and  would 
say,  "  If  I  am  not  a  prince,  I  may  become  one  ;"  and  it 
is  related  of  him,  that  while  at  the  University  of  Goldben, 
he  fell  from  one  of  the  highest  windows  at  the  top  of 
the  building,  without  receiving  any  injury;  and  that 
this  extraordinary  escape  influenced  all  his  conduct  in 
life,  for  he  early  entertained  the  strongest  presentiment 
of  his  future  greatness.  This  had  the  effect  of  generating 
extreme  presumption  in  his  mind,  and  the  most  reck- 
less extravagance  in  his  habits  of  life.  He  commenced 
his  military  career  upon  the  staff  of  the  famous  Spanish 
adventurer,  George  Basta,  maestro  di  ca/m/po  generaJc, 
in  Hungary,  1G05-6,  where  he  made  the  acquaintance, 
when  he  was  about  twenty-three  years  of  age,  of  the 
Frau  Wiezkova,  a  very  wealthy  widow,  to  whom  he 
paid  his  addresses,  and  after  a  short  courtship  married. 
But  in  a  fit  of  jealousy  she  administered  to  him  a 
"philter,"  or  love  potion,  from  which  he  narrowly 
escaped  death.  They  continued  to  live  together,  how- 
ever, till  1614,  when  she  died,  and  left  him  all  her  pro- 
perty, which  was  very  considerable. 
His  first  The  love  of  enterprise  in  "Wallenstein  was  such,  that 

campaign.  ne  raised  a  body  of  horse  at  his  own  expense,  and  fol- 
lowed the  Archduke  Ferdinand  at  the  head  of  it  in  a 
war  against  the  Venetians,  in  which  he  assisted  at  the 
battle  of  Gradisca,  in  Friuli.  Here  the  abilities  which 
he  displayed  obtained  for  him  great  reputation.  He 
was  afterwards  employed  as  Major-General  in  Moravia, 
where  he  defeated  a  Hungarian  army.  He  was  subse- 
quently invited  to  the  capital  of  the  Emperor  Ma- 
thias,  who  created  him  a  Count  of  the  Empire.  It 
was  at  this  period  that  he  made  a  second  and  equally 
advantageous  marriage  with  the  Countess  Harrack,  a 
lady  of  immense  fortune,  whose  affluence  was,  neverthe- 
less, exceeded  by  her  beauty,  piety,  and  virtue.  Her 
father  was  Prime  Minister  and  Grand  Mareschal  of 
the  Court  of  the  Emperor,  and  the  hereditary  master 
of  the   horse.       Wallenstein    now   applied   the   great 


ALBRECHT    VON    WALDSTEIN.  241 

wealth  he  had  obtained  in  the  purchase  of  confiscated 
properties ;    and,    it   is    said,   that    either   from    some 
occult    alchymy,   or  from  the  knowledge  he  had   ac- 
quired of  metallurgy,  he  was  enabled  to  pay  for  these 
properties  to  considerable  advantage  by  the  adultera- 
tion of  the  coin,  by  which  he  obtained  large  profits 
in  the  exchange.       At  all  events,  he  gained  fabulous 
wealth,  and  now  began  to  associate,  by  means  of  bis 
wife's  relations,  with  the  highest  nobles  of  the  Empire. 
On   the  first  breaking  out  of  the  war  in  Bohemia,  in 
1618,  his  popularity  in  his  native  country  was  such, 
that  he  was  offered  the  post  of  General  to  the  Bohe- 
mian   forces ;    but   he    declined    their    proposal,    and 
adopted  the  side  of  his  Sovereign,  in  whose  family  he 
had  been  brought  up.     The  Emperor  Ferdinand  had 
entered  upon  the  war  with  no  very  great  military  pre- 
parations, and  no  experience ;    but  he  had  succeeded 
with  little  difficulty  in  putting  down    the  Bohemian 
rebellion,   which   Maximilian    of  Bavaria  had   indeed 
effected  with  the  aid  of  his  renowned  General  Tilly,  as 
Executor  of  the  Ban  of  the  Empire.    But  it  ill  accorded 
with  the  grand  schemes  entertained  by  the  Emperor 
Ferdinand,  who  was  at  once  monarch  and  bigot,  to  own 
the  superiority  of  a  vassal ;  and  he  felt  that  a  strong 
army  under  his  own  orders  could  alone  free  him  from 
further  dependence  on  Bavaria,  and  restore  to  him  his 
pre-eminence  in  Germany.     Under  these  circumstances 
nothing  could  be  more  welcome  than  the  proposal  which 
was  at  this  time  made  to  him  by  Wallenstein.      He 
offered  to  raise  a  body  of  troops  for  the  Emperor,  upon 
condition  that  he  was  made  a  Field- General,  which  was 
at  that  period  a  very  great  post,  having  a  Lieutenant- 
General  under  him  ;  and  he  undertook  to  raise,  clothe, 
and  arm  from  40,000  to  50,000  men  at  his  own  expense 
and  that  of  his  friends.     The  project  was  ridiculed  by 
the  nobles  of  the  Court,  as  the   chimerical  suggestion 
of  a  presumptuous   visionary  ;    but  the    proposal  was 
gladly  accepted  by  the  Emperor,  who  assigned  to  him 

R 


212  ALBBECHI    YON    WALDSTEIN. 

certain  circles  as  depots  for  this  armament,  and  gave 
him  authority  to  appoint  his  own  officers.  Indeed 
Ferdinand  was  glad  enough  to  give  this  armament 
nothing  hut  his  name.  In  a  few  months  Wallenstein 
led  an  Imperial  army  of  20,000  men  into  the  field,  the 
first  that  had  home  such  a  name  in  reality  during  this 
war ;  but  it  was  almost  as  menacing  to  the  members 
of  the  Catholic  League  as  it  was  to  the  Protestant 
Union.  The  great  reputation  that  Wallenstein  sought 
to  obtain  for  himself,  was  the  attainment  of  supreme 
power,  and  the  hope  of  wealth  by  plunder.  This  latter 
attracted  to  his  standard  adventurers  from  all  quarters 
of  Germany ;  and  even  the  Sovereign  Princes,  stimulated 
by  the  desire  of  glory  or  gain,  offered  to  raise  regiments 
after  his  example,  for  the  service  of  the  house  of  Haps- 
burg.  Wallenstein  soon  appeared  in  the  field  with  a 
force  augmented  to  30,000  men  ;  and  understanding  that 
the  Viennese  had  been  incited  to  revolt,  and  had  even 
forced  then*  way  into  the  Kaiser's  palace  to  demand  the 
free  exercise  of  their  religion,  the  new  Generalissimo,  as 
soon  as  he  received  information  of  this  proceeding,  came 
down  to  Ferdinand's  relief  with  great  activity.  The  war 
soon  rolled  back  into  Bohemia  ;  and  Wallenstein  was 
attached  to  the  united  armies  of  the  Emperor  and 
Duke  of  Bavaria,  with  instructions  to  serve  under 
Count  Tilly's  orders.  But  already  he  showed  great 
jealousy  of  that  eminent  commander's  fame,  and  evinced 
no  disposition  to  share  with  him  the  laurels  of  the 
campaign  ;  nor  was  he  contented,  in  the  splendour  of  a 
rival's  achievements,  to  becloud  his  own.  He  therefore 
resolved  to  act  entirely  independently  of  Tilly,  but  to 
support  the  general  scheme  of  the  campaign  according 
to  his  own  ideas.  Accordingly,  he  was  not  present  at 
the  battle  of  Prague  in  1G20,  when  the  Elector  Pala- 
tine was  driven  out  of  his  newly-acquired  kingdom  of 
Bohemia;  but  he  went  with  his  army  into  Moravia, 
where,  on  the  18th  October,  1621,  he  gained  a  victory  at 
Kremser;  and  in  1623  he  proceeded  against  Gabor,  Prince 


ALBEECHT    VOX   WALDSTEEN".  243 

of  Transylvania,  whom  he  soon  reduced  to  submission. 
As  he  had  not  resources,  like  Tilly,  for  supplying  the 
wants  of  his  army  of  volunteers,  he  was  obliged  to  hold 
his  ground  in  the  midst  of  fertile  countries,  which  had 
not  been  ravaged  by  the  war ;  and  it  was  from  the  vast 
gains  he  obtained  in  the  first  three  years'  service  in  the 
field,  that  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  at  a  fifth  of  its 
value  the  Duchy  of  Friedland,  which  the  Emperor  in 
reward  for  his  services  confirmed  to  him  by  grant. 

The  wealth  which  the  war  had  already  obtained  for  His  luxuri- 
Wallenstein  was  expended  most  profusely,  and  the  ^private 
most  incredible  stories  are  current  respecting  his  ex-  his  mode  of 
travagant  style  of  living.  He  loved  the  splendour  of  gratlfyin£ 
a  magnificent  table,  but  restrained  himself  to  strict 
moderation  both  in  eating  and  drinking.  Indeed  he 
mostly  affected  to  eat  alone ;  for  it  was  a  maxim  with 
him,  that  a  Commander-in-Chief  should  never  fami- 
liarize himself  with  his  Generals  ;  yet  he  copied  Scipio 
in  rewards,  as  he  did  Hannibal  in  punishments :  but 
while  he  employed  many  severities  and  peculiarities, 
he  had  a  generosity  beyond  what  appeared  in  any  sub- 
ject. His  munificence  was  supported  by  an  income 
estimated  at  three  millions  of  florins  yearly,  obtained 
from  many  sources.  He  purchased  at  small  cost  the 
properties  he  himself  confiscated.  He  had  learned  the 
lesson  from  the  Protestant  General  Mansfeld,  "  that 
war  should  be  made  to  support  war ;"  but  the  scholar 
soon  surpassed  his  master.  If  Mansfeld  and  the 
Duke  of  Brunswick  had  provided  for  their  armies  by 
contributions  levied  indiscriminately  on  friend  or  foe, 
what  might  not  be  obtained  when  the  army  raised  was 
numerous  enough  to  overawe  the  most  powerful  vassals 
of  the  empire,  and  when  the  name  of  the  Emperor 
ensured  immunity  to  every  outrage  ?  Wallen  stein  found 
that  the  more  he  augmented  his  army,  the  less  he 
had  to  fear  for  their  subsistence  ;  for  the  whole  of 
Germany  became  a  general  magazine  for  the  Imperial 
troops.     Universal  was  the  clamour  to  the   Imperial 

E  2 


1>|1  LLBEECHT    VON   WALDSTEIW. 

throne  for  redress ;  but  the  general  discontent  was  at 
first  equally  against  the  Emperor,  who  had  lent  his 
name  to  these  barbarities,  as  against  the  General  who 
had  exceeded  his  commission  in  enforcing  them.     But 
the  latter  no  sooner  felt  himself  powerful  and  absolute, 
than  he  threw  off  his  obedience  to  his  Sovereign.     As 
soon,   however,   as   breathing-time  was   obtained,  the 
Princes  of  the  Catholic  party,  assembled  at  the  Diet  of 
Katisbon,  began  openly  to  express  displeasure  at  the 
ostentation   and  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Friedland, 
whom  they  regarded  as  an  upstart  and  an  ambitious 
adventurer.     Many  of  those  who  had  suffered  from  the 
devastations  of  his  licentious  army  increased  the  cry ; 
moreover,  the  priests  were  to  a  man  against  hmi.     His 
elevation  of  sentiment,  and  clearness  of  understanding, 
had  perhaps  exalted  him  above  the  religious  prejudices 
of  his  age,  and  the  Jesuits  never  forgive  an  aspiring  con- 
vert.    He  had  been  their  scholar,  and  had  seen  through 
their  system,  which  he  now  openly  contemned.     He 
regarded  the  Pope  as  no  more  than  Bishop   of  Kome, 
and  would  not  trouble  himself  at  all  as  to  the  Papal 
dogmas,  excepting  with  a  haughty  disdain. 
Leads  the        The  difficulties  of  the  Emperor  were  increasing  in 
Imperial-     1625,  and  he  was  again  under  the  necessity  of  appeal- 
the  m ng  of  ing  to  his  mighty  subject,  the  Duke  of  Friedland,  for 
Denmark,    his  co-operation,  who  forthwith,  at  his  earnest  entreaty, 
came  into  the  field,  at  the  head  of  two  armies  of  50,000 
men  each.     This  enormous  force  had  been  raised  and 
maintained  without  burthening  the  Emperor's  private 
resources  with  a  single  florin.     He  received  orders  to 
unite  his  forces  with  the  troops  of  the  League,  and,  in 
conjunction  with  Tilly,  to  attack  the  King  of  Denmark, 
in  the  north- west  of  the  empire.    His  personal  aversion 
to  the  Bavarian  General-in-Chief  still  continued ;  and 
disobeying,  therefore,  the  order  to  form  a  junction  with 
Tilly,  he  marched  into  the  territories  of  Halberstadt 
and  Magdeburg,  and  established  his  head-quarters  at 
Dessau,  where  the  possession  of  the  bridge  over  the 


ALBEECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN.  245 

Elbe  enabled  liirn  to  carry  on  the  war  on  whichever 
side  of  that  river  he  might  prefer,  either  to  attack  the 
Danish  King  in  rear  of  the  quarters  of  his  assembled 
army,  or,  if  more  desirable,  to  enter  the  territories  of 
that  Sovereign.  Christian  IV.  was  at  this  juncture  King 
of  Denmark,  and  saw  with  dismay  his  dangerous  posi- 
tion between  the  two  armies  of  Tilly  and  Wallenstein, 
which  induced  him  to  call  up  the  celebrated  Mansfeld 
to  his  assistance.  This  able  General  of  the  Confederate 
Princes  immediately  fell  upon  Wallenstein,  and  so  un- 
expectedly, that  at  first  he  obtained  possession  of  the 
bridge  of  Dessau,  although  he  failed  in  his  attempt  to 
burn  it.  But  the  tables  were  soon  turned,  and  Mans- 
feld was  forced  to  retreat.  He,  however,  continued 
to  keep  at  bay  the  Imperialist  army,  and  to  prevent  its 
junction  with  Tilly's  ;  which  was  not  a  difficult  opera- 
tion, seeing  that  the  enemy's  general  desired  it  as  much 
as  himself.  Mansfeld,  with  prudent  boldness,  went  so 
far  as  to  intrench  himself  in  presence  of  the  Imperial 
lines ;  so  that  Wallenstein  sent  General  Aldringer 
against  him,  when  a  severe  fight  ensued,  which  ended 
in  the  Confederate  General  being  obliged  to  abandon 
his  post,  with  the  loss  of  3000  killed.  Mansfeld  on 
this  withdrew  into  Brandenburg,  where  he  soon  re- 
cruited and  reinforced  his  army,  and  suddenly  returned 
to  fall  upon  Moravia  and  Silesia,  with  a  view  of  pene- 
trating into  Hungary,  and  there  forming  a  junction 
with  Bethlem  Gabor 1.    Tilly  therefore  fell  upon  King 

1  This  man's  history  constantly  comes  across  our  biographies, 
and  it  may  be  interesting  to  know  something  of  him.  His  true 
name  was  Gabriel  Bethlem,  but  the  Transylvanians  place  the  sur- 
name after  the  Christian,  and  Gabor  means  Gabriel.  He  figures 
continually  in  the  history  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  yet  never 
with  any  effect,  but  was  a  very  remarkable  character.  He  passed 
his  life  in  arms  from  the  seventeenth  year  of  his  age,  and  had 
been  in  forty -two  battles.  He  was  affable,  polite,  and  intriguing, 
ambitious,  artful,  reserved,  and  treacherous, — served  all,  sold  all, 
and  betrayed  all.  He  had  risen  from  the  simple  rank  of  a  gen- 
tleman to  the  attainment  of  the  Government  of  Transylvania  by 


24G 


\l.i:UECHT    VON    WALDSTEIN. 


Christian,  who  was  now  isolated,  but  had  occupied  the 
bishoprics  of  Munster  and  Osnaburg,  threatening  a 
further  inroad  into  the  territories  of  the  League.  To 
check  these  movements,  Tilly  removed  the  seat  of  the 
war  to  the  banks  of  the  Weser;  and  Wallenstein  was 
ordered  to  pursue  Mansfeld,  who,  being  disappointed 
of  the  assistance  of  some  reinforcements  promised  by 
England,  had  with  only  30,000  men  succeeded  with 
considerable  address  to  secure  himself  behind  the  river 
Bober,  there  to  await  the  assistance  of  Gabor,  whose 
ardour  however  had  begun  to  cool  with  the  adversities 
of  the  Protestant  cause ;  and  he  had,  as  usual,  made 
his  own  terms.  Mansfeld,  therefore,  cut  off  from  Ger- 
many, and  unable  to  maintain  his  army  in  Hungary, 
sold  his  artillery  and  baggage,  and,  disbanding  his 
soldiers,  fled  with  a  few  adherents  towards  Italy,  where 
he  died. 

Wallenstein' s  army  being  in  1627  without  an  adver- 
sary in  the  hereditary  dominions,  was  recalled  to  Tilly's 
assistance    in  the    North    of   Germany,  and   marched 
straight  for  Holstein,  to  threaten  the  King  of  Dcn- 
sists\ho      mark's  dominions.    Along  with  other  field-works,  which 


Dunbar, 
with  a 
Scottish 
detach- 
ment, 


Imperial- 
ists. 


Christian  had  thrown  up  to  impede  the  advance  of  the 
Imperialists,  was  a  bridge-head  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Elbe,  near  Boizenburg.  This  bridge-head  was  garri- 
soned by  four  companies  of  Scottish  infantry,  under 


driving  the  Prince  Bathori  out  of  it  in  1613 ;  but  maintained  a 
constant  hostility  to  the  Emperor,  which  he  turned  considerably 
to  his  profit ;  first  by  assuming  the  crown  of  Hungary  in  1618, 
and  then  bartering  it  back  again  for  Imperial  concessions,  obtain- 
ing, amongst  other  grants,  the  famous  vineyard  of  Tokay.  He 
died  1618,  in  his  fifty-ninth  year,  having  passed  his  whole  ex- 
istence in  one  continual  storm  of  his  own  creating.  His  restless 
and  turbulent  spirit  never  allowed  him  to  be  idle  for  a  single 
year.  He  was  always  fishing  in  troubled  waters,  and  no  treaty 
could  bind  him,  nor  any  amount  of  money  ever  secure  him.  He 
would  constantly  change  sides,  either  for  the  sake  of  changing, 
or  for  the  sake  of  making  a  better  bargain,  without  the  least 
scruple  or  a  particle  of  principle. 


ALBEECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN.  247 

the  command  of  one  Major  Dunbar,  who  so  effectually 
defended  themselves,  that   they  forced   the    Imperial 
General  to  raise  the  siege  after  three  fruitless  assaults. 
The  Scots,  it  is  said,  contested  these  assaults,  in  default 
of  bayonets,  which  had  not  yet  been  introduced,  with 
musket-fire,  as  long  as  their  powder  lasted ;  and  then 
they  threw  sand  into  the  faces  of  the  assailants,  and 
slung    stones,    consummating  their   vigorous    defence 
with  the  butt  ends  of  their  muskets.     The  same  Major 
Dunbar  was  domiciled  with   his    Scotsmen   for   their 
quarters  in  Breitenburg  Castle,  belonging  to  the  ancient 
family  of  Rantzau,  in  Holstein,  which  still  retained  the 
appearance,  and  something  also  of  the  strength,  of  the 
old  baronial  castles  of  the  middle  ages.     It  was  then 
surrounded  by  an  old,  ill-flanked  wall,  and  by  a  ditch ; 
which  latter  was,  however,  partially  filled  up.     Here, 
nevertheless,  he  endured  a  six-days'  cannonade,  followed 
by  an  assault  on  the  seventh  day ;  and  the  defenders, 
acting  under  the  energy  of  almost  despair — for  they 
well  appreciated  the  consequences  of  capture — resisted 
in  a  hand-to-hand  encounter,  and  made  a  most  deter- 
mined resistance 2. 

In  the  interval  Wallenstein  had  overrun  the  princi-  Wallen- 
pality  of  Sagan,  in  the  valley  of  the  Bober,  in  Silesia;  stein 
and,  having  laid  it  waste,  obtained  a  grant  of  it  from  King  of 
the  Emperor.    In  the  following  year,  1628,  he  repaired  Denmark  : 
to  Vienna,  and  demanded  further,  that,  if  he  could  con-  own'Sao.!S 
quer  the  dominions  of  the  King  of  Denmark,  he  might  grandize- 
receive  that  also  as  a  kingdom.    The  Emperor  objected  ment- 
to  this,  that  the  Danish  crown  was  too  precarious  a 
possession ;  and  Wallenstein  was  probably  put  off  by 
the  Imperial  councillors  from  any  definite  concession  of 
a  request  which,  at  that  moment,  was  both  premature 
and  impolitic ;  and  he  rejoined  his  army,  when,  per- 
suading Tilly  to  watch  the  country  on  either  side  of 
the  Elbe,  he  poured  all  his  forces  upon  the  Danish 

2  Mitchell. 


*o  AIiBBEOHT    VON    WALDSTEIN. 

King,  iii  order  that  he  might  the  more  speedily  crush 
him,  and  reap  for  himself  the  personal  advantages  he 
yet  hoped  to  obtain.  Wallenstein  unscrupulously  re- 
quired from  the  districts  of  Brandenburg  and  Mecklen- 
burg, which  he  had  overrun,  large  resources  in  men, 
money,  and  provisions,  so  that  with  these  contributions 
he  made  his  Imperial  army  very  strong,  and  got  it  into 
the  most  perfect  order.  If  credit  is  to  be  given  to 
the  statements  of  contemporary  writers,  Wallenstein 
had  already,  during  his  seven  years'  command,  exacted 
not  less  than  sixty  thousand  millions  of  dollars  from 
the  provinces  of  Germany.  The  greater  his  extortions, 
the  greater  the  rewards  to  his  followers.  Numberless 
commissions  to  colonelcies  and  to  inferior  commands, 
immoderate  largesses  to  his  favourites  (for  it  was  his 
custom  never  to  give  a  less  sum  than  1000  florins), 
increased  his  influence  enormously  ;  and  he  lavished  yet 
larger  sums  in  corrupting  the  members  of  the  Imperial 
Court,  while  he  yet  at  the  same  time  maintained  his 
condition  of  Commander-in-Chief  with  regal  pomp. 
Every  thing  was  done  hitherto,  it  is  true,  in  the  name 
of  the  Emperor ;  for  the  object  of  Wallenstein  was  con- 
sistently to  depress  the  Princes,  to  crush  the  authority 
of  the  minor  states,  and  to  elevate  the  Imperial  power 
above  all  competition.  Lf  the  Emperor  could  be  ren- 
dered absolute,  who  would  be  able  to  dispute  the  will 
of  the  man  who  swayed  the  execution  of  his  will  at  the 
head  of  a  powerful  and  devoted  army  ?  His  soldiers 
adored  such  a  leader ;  for  they  nourished,  whHe  all  the 
princes,  and  nobles,  and  peasantry  of  the  countries 
through  which  he  passed,  withered.  He  allowed  no 
precedence  of  quality  throughout  his  army,  not  even 
from  the  Princes,  but  ordered  each  officer  to  take  his 
place  according  to  his  military  rank  and  station.  His 
arrogance  was  such,  that  he  would  even  reject  an  officer 
who  came  to  him  with  an  Imperial  recommendation  in 
his  pocket,  unless  he  was  prepared  to  acknowledge  the 
favour  as  from  himself.     The  height  to  which  Wallen- 


ALBBECHT    TON    WALDSTELN".  249 

stein  raised  the  Imperial  authority  astonished  even  the 
Emperor ;  but  his  design  unquestionably  was,  that  his 
Sovereign  should  stand  in  fear  of  no  one  in  all  Germany 
beside  himself,  the  source  and  engine  of  his  despotic 
power.  He  cared  nothing,  however,  himself  for  popu- 
larity from  his  equals,  and  less  for  the  detestation  of 
the  people,  or  the  complaints  of  the  Sovereigns,  but 
was  ready  to  bid  a  general  defiance  to  all  conse- 
quences s. 

As  a  step  towards  the  further  end  of  his  ambition,  Demands 

Wallenstein  now  demanded  of  the  Emperor  the  cession  t»?rces,s!on 

L  ofMecklen- 

of  Mecklenburg,  as  a  pledge  for  the  repayment  of  the  burg. 

expenses  of  the  war.     In  vain  was  this  new  demand 

resisted  by  the  Imperial  Council ;  the  powerful  influence 

of  the  prosperous  General  had  increased  considerably, 

and  the  support  he  had  purchased  from  the  Imperial 

councillors  had  augmented  it  to  such  an  extent,  that, 

in  order  to  secure  the  devotion  of  so  indispensable  an 

agent  to  his  cause,  Ferdinand,  in  1628,  expelled  one  of 

the  oldest  German  houses,  in  order  that  a  creature  of 

his  own  raising  might  be  enriched  by  the  spoil  of  that 

duchy. 

The  King  of  Denmark,  knowing  well  the  extent  of  Lays  siege 

Wallenstein' s  ambition,  who  thus  became  his  neigh-  to  stral" 

,       .        .  .  .  .        sund. 

bour,  trembled  in  his  capital.    Wismar  had  been  seized 

and  taken,  and  a  firm  footing  was  already  obtained  by 
the  powerful  General  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic ;  but 
Wallenstein  found  himself  sadly  inconvenienced  by  the 
want  of  shipping  to  co-operate  with  him  against  Chris- 
tian, who  was  enabled  to  bring  considerable  naval  power 
to  defend  his  insular  States,  while  the  Imperial  General 
thirsted  to  carry  the  war  even  across  to  Jutland,  and 
to  compel  the  King,  in  his  capital  of  Copenhagen,  to 
sue  for  peace.  Tilly  had  already  advanced  to  the  town 
of  Stade  in  the  duchy  of  Bremen  ;  and  Arnheim,  at  the 
head  of  a  Saxon  force,  under  Wallenstein's  command, 

3  Schiller. 


250  ALBRECIIT    VON    WALDSTEIN. 

had  seized  the  island  of  Pugen.  The  Generalissimo 
therefore  holdly  sat  down  hefore  Stralsund,  whose 
excellent  harhour,  and  the  short  passage  from  it  to  the 
Swedish  and  Danish  shores,  fitted  it  for  an  excellent 
naval  station  for  his  object.  The  Duke  of  Friedland 
therefore  invested  the  town  on  the  23rd  May,  l(>2s. 
Christian  accordingly  sent  a  sufficient  garrison  into  it ; 
and  now  animated  the  defence  by  his  presence  and  his 
vessels.  Some  ships  of  war,  which  had  been  sent  by 
Sigismund,  King  of  Poland,  to  the  assistance  of  the 
Imperialist  General,  were  sunk  by  the  Danish  fleet. 
Wallenstein  nevertheless  strove  to  gain  possession  of 
Stralsund  in  order  to  give  the  law  by  this  intermediate 
possession  to  both  Denmark  and  Sweden,  and  especially 
to  invade  the  former.  He  therefore  despatched  Schwar- 
zenberg  to  the  Hanse  Towns  to  demand  some  shipping, 
but  had  been  answered,  that  the  said  towns  had  in- 
terests of  their  own  to  consult,  and  confederacies  and 
alliances  with  the  neighbouring  Princes,  which  pre- 
cluded them  from  lending  their  aid  to  either  side  of 
the  quarrel.  Wallenstein  was  angry  that  he  could 
not  get  ships  enough  even  to  blockade  this  single 
harbour  that  he  was  besieging ;  but  he  nevertheless 
procured  an  Imperial  patent  to  be  Admiral  of  the 
Baltic,  and  accordingly  assumed  the  title  of  Gene- 
ralissimo of  the  Emperor  by  Sea  and  Land.  Some 
biographers  assert  that  Wallenstein,  indignant  at  find- 
ing that  the  sea  now  arrested  his  progress,  ordered 
red-hot  shot  to  be  fired  into  the  rebellious  element, 
which  appeared  resolved  to  arrest  his  career  of  con- 
quest. Such  puerile  acts  are  often  related  of  mighty 
conquerors,  whose  wills  and  passions,  inflated  by  flat- 
terers, often  mislead  their  real  abilities  and  sound 
judgment. 

Nothing  could  be  deemed  more  adventurous  than  to 
attempt  the  conquest  of  a  strongly  fortified  seaport  like 
Stralsund,  without  the  means  of  first  blockading  its 
harbour.       Put  Wallenstein,  who   had  never  yet  ex- 


ALBEECHT    VON    WALDSTEEN. 

perienced  a  check,  expected,  with  the  ordinary  arro- 
gance of  such  men,  to  conquer  nature  itself,  and  to 
perform  impossibilities ;  so  that  he  exclaimed,  "  I  will 
take  this  place,  even  though  it  were  fastened  by  a  chain 
of  adamant  to  the  heavens."  He  now  endeavoured  by 
artful  and  boastful  menaces  to  supply  his  want  of  real 
strength.  He  demanded  winter-quarters,  through  Arn- 
heim,  his  camp-master-general,  for  an  immense  increase 
of  soldiers.  He  poured  regiments  into  Pomerania,  like 
swarms  of  locusts.  He  even  sent  Colonel  Goetz  into  the 
besieged  town,  to  request  a  passage  for  only  a  small 
body  of  troops;  but  the  authorities,  of  course,  saw  through 
the  artifice,  and  refused  the  request.  He  even  demanded 
that  Stralsund  should  receive  an  Imperial  garrison ; 
which  was  firmly,  but  with  all  due  respect  to  the  Em- 
peror, rejected  by  the  magistracy.  After  having  ex- 
hausted every  wile  without  effect,  he  at  length  desired 
Arnheim  to  invest  the  town ;  but  Stralsund,  always 
open  to  the  sea,  continued  to  be  supplied,  as  before, 
with  provisions  and  reinforcements.  Wallenstein,  how- 
ever, pushed  on  his  assaults  with  all  the  fury  and  energy 
that  resentment  could  inspire ;  and  the  Danes  soon 
found  the  defence  of  the  place  beyond  their  strength. 
Gustavus,  however,  had  taken  an  early  opportunity  of 
sending  some  Swedish  troops  to  its  assistance ;  and 
Christian,  in  the  end,  cast  the  burden  entirely  upon  the 
King  of  Sweden's  shoulders,  who  sent  a  body  of  his 
Scotchmen,  under  Sir  Alexander  Leslie,  as  Governor ; 
when  for  three  months  the  siege  was  stoutly  resisted, 
and  Wallenstein's  good  fortune  seemed  to  have  turned 
the  balance.  The  struggle  was  costly  ;  12,000  Impe- 
rialists had  already  fallen  in  the  vain  attempt,  until  the 
Emperor,  urged  by  some  of  the  Princes,  ordered  his 
General  to  retire  from  the  siege.  But  Wallenstein 
spumed  the  command,  and  continued  to  harass  the 
besieged  with  incessant  assaults.  The  Swedes  con- 
tinued as  gloriously  to  defend  it  as  their  Scandinavian 
brethren  had  done  before  ;   and  the  introduction  of  this 


251 


252  ALBEECllT    VON   WALDSTEIN. 

soldiery  into  the  war  greatly  facilitated  the  subsequent 
arrival  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  himself  upon  the  scene ; 
and  their  heroic  defence  of  Stralsund  gave  great  encou- 
ragement to  the  Confederates  to  seek  the  aid  of  Sweden 
in  the  depth  of  their  necessities. 
The  siege         Wallenstein's  tide   of  fortune   now   visibly   forsook 

of  Steal-      hjj-n     anci  ^jg  pric]e  a]so  experienced  a  rude  humiliation 

sunrl  raised.  . r  r 

Wallen-       by  the  necessity  he  was  at  length  reduced  to  of  relin- 

stem  nego-  quishing  his  prey  ;  when,  after  many  months'  resistance, 
Denmark.  ne  raised  the  siege  on  the  31st  July.  He  had  exposed 
himself  to  many  mortifications  in  the  childish  obstinacy 
with  which  he  had  so  fruitlessly  persevered  for  many 
months.  In  the  eagerness  to  attain  the  object  of  the 
moment,  and  in  the  characteristic  impetuosity  of  his 
character,  it  was  not  till  he  had  relincpaished  this  main 
point  of  his  strategy,  that  he  awoke  to  the  necessary 
policy  of  a  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  to  be  at  peace  with 
Denmark.  The  friendship  of  Christian  IV.,  whose 
neighbour  Wallenstein  had  become  by  this  new  acqui- 
sition, was  in  truth  an  essential  element  to  his  ambi- 
tious views ;  and  therefore  he  covered  his  failure  at 
Stralsund  by  resolving,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  his 
Sovereign's  interests,  to  secure  his  alliance.  With  this 
view  he  entered  into  negotiations  with  Christian  at 
Lubeck  in  1629.  The  King  was  bound  by  treaty  not 
to  conclude  any  measures  without  the  consent  of 
Sweden ;  nevertheless,  he  accepted  Wallenstein's  pro- 
posals. When  however,  with  studied  contempt,  the 
Imperialist  Generalissimo  insisted  upon  excluding  from 
this  Congress  the  Swedish  Ambassadors,  who  had  in- 
truded themselves  into  it  undisguisedly  to  intercede 
for  Mecklenburg,  Christian  IV.  broke  with  Sweden, 
and  very  meanly  and  ingloriously  retired  from  the 
Confederate  League  at  this  juncture,  giving  up  the 
contest,  making  the  best  terms  he  could  for  himself, 
and  throwing  over  his  relations  and  friends,  the  Elector 
Palatine  and  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  whom  he  un- 
scrupulously left  to  their  fate. 


ALBEECHT   VON   WALDSTEIN.  253 

Though  his  failure  before  Stralsund  had  somewhat  The  Em- 
impaired  the  prestige  of  this  great  Commander,  yet  it  Pe.ror  J>~ 
was  not  in  his  military  operations  alone  that  unstable  lenstein  of 
fortune  now  turned  against  him ;  the  hostility  of  the  ^1S  c°m~ 
Church  was  at  this  time  opened  upon  Wallenstein  with 
all  its  most  bitter  determination  to  work  his  downfall ; 
and  it  is  the  judgment  of  Schiller,  "  that  no  one  ever 
yet  came  to  a  fortunate  end  who  quarrelled  with  the 
Church."  Wallenstein  will  be  found  in  this  respect,  as 
in  many  other  matters,  to  have  fulfilled  the  judgment 
of  the  historian.  The  Jesuit  party  had  been  enabled, 
without  a  great  deal  of  difficulty,  to  make  Ferdinand 
jealous  of  the  Generalissimo's  fidelity  ;  and  now  that  the 
peace  of  Lubeck  had  delivered  the  Emperor  from  all 
apprehensions  from  the  North  of  Europe,  and  that  he 
saw  the  Protestant  Princes  entirely  powerless  and  at 
his  feet,  Ferdinand  signed  what  was  termed  "  the  Edict 
of  Restitution  "  against  them  ;  and  listened  at  the  same 
time  to  the  complaints  which  had  arisen  to  a  height 
against  his  great  subject,  filling  the  Imperial  ear  with 
the  most  fearful  description  of  his  outrages,  and  of  his 
contempt  of  all  authority.  Informed  of  the  cabals 
that  were  forming  against  him,  the  Duke  of  Friedland 
adopted  the  boldest  course.  He  thought  to  overawe 
his  enemies  by  his  presence,  and  repaired  in  person  to 
Eatisbon,  where  the  Emperor  held  the  Diet.  He  was 
accompanied  to  the  sitting  with  a  pomp  that  threw 
that  of  his  Imperial  master  quite  into  the  shade,  and 
very  much  aggravated  every  existing  prejudice  against 
him.  The  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  as  he  had  now  be- 
come, soon  discovered  however  that  he  was  isolated, 
and  had  not  any  trusty  friends  at  the  Diet.  He  there- 
fore speedily  returned  to  the  head  of  his  army,  where 
most  of  the  officers  were  his  creatures,  and  where,  with 
the  common  soldiers,  "  a  nod  was  as  good  as  a  wink," 
for  any  purpose  that  he  might  resolve  upon.  The  Princes 
of  the  League,  headed  by  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  were 
consequently  left  at  liberty  to  mature  a  severe  revenge 


254  ALBRECUT  VON  WALDSTEIN. 

on  Wallenstein.  They  unanimously  demanded  from 
Ferdinand  his  dismissal  from  the  command  of  the  army. 
The  Emperor  remained  long  undecided.  He  felt  how 
much  he  might  lose  in  yielding  to  the  indignation  of 
the  Princes  a  man  who  had  armed  him  with  much  of 
his  supreme  power.  There  was  no  doubt  at  all  that  he 
owed  his  preponderance  in  the  councils  of  the  empire 
almost  solely  to  the  power  he  had  acquired  by  means  of 
the  Duke  of  Friedland.  But,  as  in  all  matters  of  State, 
so  there  were  other  considerations  to  be  regarded.  His 
son  Ferdinand  had  been  already  chosen  King  of  Hun- 
gary ;  and,  in  order  to  obtain  for  him  the  election  of 
his  successor  to  the  Empire,  he  was  under  the  necessity 
of  conciliating  the  Electors.  For  this  purpose  he  was 
obliged  to  give  weight  to  the  influences  extorted  by 
them  for  the  removal  of  Wallenstein.  Moreover,  in 
the  complicated  wiles  of  the  policy  of  Cardinal  Richelieu, 
a  Capuchin  friar,  named  Father  Joseph,  found  his  way 
to  Ratisbon.  The  voice  of  a  monk  was  to  Ferdinand  II. 
the  voice  of  God.  Nothing  on  earth  was  more  sacred 
in  his  eyes  than  a  Priest.  The  cup  now  overflowed,  and 
Wallenstein' s  dismissal  was  resolved  upon  4.  But  the 
Generalissimo  was  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  100,000 
men.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  sentence  oihis  dismissal 
from  command  reached  him  at  his  head-quarters  (which 
was  brought  by  two  of  his  most  intimate  friends,  to 
soften  the  evil  tidings),  he  had  scarcely  sufficient  time 
to  carry  out  a  bold  resistance  against  it,  even  if  he  had 
contemplated  it.  He  saw  his  estates  so  scattered,  that, 
in  the  event  of  his  disobedience,  a  single  word  from  his 
Sovereign  for  their  confiscation  might  at  once  destroy 
all  the  sinews  of  his  power.  Moreover,  he  read  in  the 
stars  that  his  brilliant  career  was  not  yet  ended ;  and 
he  was  politician  enough  to  calculate  that  the  decision 
adopted  by  Ferdinand  at  Ratisbon — of  war  with  Sweden 
— might  bring  Gustavus  Adolphus  as  an  enemy  into 

*  Schiller. 


ALBEECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN.  255 

the  field,  which  might  soon  render  it  indispensable  to 
recall  his  services  for  the  defence  of  the  Empire.  He 
therefore  said  to  the  messengers,  "  The  Emperor  is 
betrayed.  I  grieve  that  His  Majesty  has  had  the  weak- 
ness to  listen  to  evil  counsel,  and  to  sacrifice  me ;  but 
I  will  obey."  He  then  took  leave  of  the  emissaries 
with  costly  presents,  and  transmitted  his  profession  of 
obedience  in  an  humble  letter  to  his  Sovereign,  in  which 
he  dutifully  besought  the  continuance  of  the  Emperor's 
favour. 

But  the  dull  repose  of  private  life  was  any  thing  but  Magnifi- 
congenial  to  the  ambitious  mind  of  Wallenstein.  In  his  ™?ace°  and 
retreat  he  sought  other  excitement,  and  surrounded  htxurious- 
himself  with  a  pomp  that  appeared  to  mock  the  sen-  P e?s-t 
tence  of  degradation,  and  to  cast  his  prosperity  into 
the  teeth  of  his  enemies.  It  is  said  that  the  palace 
which  he  inhabited  at  Prague  was  constructed  from  the 
spoils  of  a  hundred  palaces  of  Sovereigns  and  Princes, 
which  he  had  destroyed.  Six  gates  conducted  into  its 
court-yard ;  to  form  which  a  hundred  houses  had  been 
pulled  down  and  removed.  The  stables  were  gorgeous. 
Each  stall  was  an  intercolumniation  of  pillars  of  the 
richest  and  most  beautiful  marbles  :  the  mangers  were 
of  polished  steel ;  and  before  every  horse  his  picture 
was  suspended  on  the  wall.  Gentlemen  of  the  noblest 
houses  contended  for  the  honour  of  serving  him,  and 
even  the  chamberlains  of  the  Emperor  resigned  their 
gold  keys  to  take  similar  office  under  Wallenstein.  His 
antechamber  was  occupied  by  fifty  lifeguards,  and  he 
maintained  sixty  pages  of  honour  about  his  person. 
His  table  never  consisted  of  less  than  100  covers ; 
and  his  seneschal  was  a  nobleman  of  rank.  When  he 
travelled,  he  was  followed  by  100  fourgons,  drawn  by 
four  or  six  horses.  He  had  fifty  led  horses,  and  his 
personal  suite  filled  sixty  carriages.  The  pomp  of  his 
liveries,  the  splendour  of  his  ecmipages,  and  the  deco- 
ration of  his  apartments  were  in  keeping  with  all  this 
display.     A  guard  mounted   at  his   gate,  and  patrols 


pcarance. 


25G  ALBRECUT    TON    WALDSTEIN. 

continually  took  their  rounds  about  the  palace,  to  pro- 
vide for  its  security  and  quiet. 
His  per-  It  may  be  of  some  interest  to  know  how  such  a  man 

m«„J[  looked  who  bad  filled  the  world  with  so  much  renown. 
In  person  he  was  a  man  of  large  stature  ;  but  thin,  and 
of  a  sallow  complexion.  He  had  a  high  forehead, 
under  which  were  small  sparkling  eyes  of  commanding 
fulness  and  respect.  He  had  his  hair  always  cut  very 
short ;  but  some  say  that  it  was  red,  and  some  that  it  was 
black  ;  but  he  wore  a  thin  moustache,  and  spare  beard 
and  whiskers.  The  expression  of  his  face  was  earnest, 
thoughtful,  and  noble,  but  somewhat  repulsive,  from  a 
gloomy  and  forbidding  seriousness  that  continually 
sat  upon  his  brow.  His  words  were  few,  and  he  never 
smiled  :  his  aspect  was  dark,  reserved,  and  impenetrable. 
Thebusy  genius  that  ever  burned  within  required  silence; 
and  the  little  that  he  spoke  was  short,  harsh,  and  impe- 
rious. He  was  singularly  sensitive  of  noise,  and  had 
some  peculiarities  that  bordered  strongly  on  madness. 
As  he  rarely  spoke  in  company,  he  kept  his  attention 
fixed  on  other  men's  discourse,  so  that  people  said  of 
him  he  was  "  at  once  penetrating  and  impenetrable." 
He  was  in  truth  more  sparing  of  his  words  than  of  his 
gifts ;  and  it  was  alone  the  magnificence  of  these  last  that 
retained  the  trembling  crowd  of  his  dependents  around 
one  of  so  unprepossessing  an  exterior.  Yet  he  knew 
how  to  win  men  by  occasional  affability.  His  manners 
were  the  manners  of  his  age — unrefined  and  rough, — but 
he  had  mixed  all  his  hfe  in  the  society  of  the  great, 
and  was  the  gentleman  and  soldier  of  the  period,  so 
that  in  his  accueil  he  never  permitted  himself  to  de- 
part from  true  princely  dignity.  The  coldness  of  his 
temperament  made  him  proof  against  all  sensual  seduc- 
tions ;  so  that  he  was  not  deemed  amorous :  but  he 
carried  himself  in  a  certain  tender  way  towards  his  wife, 
Isabella  von  Harrach,  by  whom  he  had  an  oidy 
daughter,  rarely  living  with,  or  even  writing  to  her, 
but  always  talking   affectionately  of  "  My  Duchess." 


ALBBECIIT   TON   WALDSTEIN.  257 

He  cared  not  for  the  popularity  of  his  adherents 
and  soldiers,  looking  principally  to  their  fidelity  and 
devotion ;  hut  he  was  attracted  hy  merit  in  every  class, 
and  was  always  promoting  deserving,  energetic  men. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  required  implicit  obedience  from 
all,  and  deference  from  persons  of  distinction.  He  was 
indeed  rather  disposed  to  look  down  upon  many  of  this 
latter  class  with  contempt,  especially  those  who  ap- 
peared to  him  to  be  mere  court  fools.  In,  this  stately 
obscurity  of  three  years  did  Wallenstein  silently,  but 
not  unobservantly  or  inactively,  await  the  "  inevitable  -^k- 

hour  "  of  his  revenge.  Gustavus  Adolphus  had  in  this 
interval  disembarked  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  and 
had  overrun  the  entire  north  of  Germany,  and  before 
him,  at  Leipzig,  the  flower  of  the  Austrian  forces 
had  fallen.  The  intelligence  of  this  defeat  soon  reached 
the  ears  of  Wallenstein,  condemned  to  irksome  inaction, 
while  his  rivals  gathered  laurels  on  the  field  of  glory  ; 
yet  while  all  without  his  castle  bespoke  calmness  and 
indifference,  his  mind  was  brooding  over  the  most 
illusive  projects  of  ambition.  The  Emperor's  ingrati- 
tude had  effaced  from  his  mind  all  record  of  past 
favours.  The  blow  which  at  the  Diet  of  Ratisbon  had 
humbled  him,  showed  him  the  difference  between  de- 
puted and  acquired  power ;  and  from  that  moment  it 
was  the  all-engrossing  desire  of  his  soul  to  obtain 
power  for  himself.  Fortune  had  denied  him  nothing 
that  a  subject  or  a  citizen  could  lawfully  enjoy  ;  but  the 
difference  was  yet  extreme  between  a  subject  and  a 
Sovereign ;  and  he  sighed  for  the  opportunity  of  wield- 
ing an  independent  sword,  and  of  uniting  it  with  an 
absolute  sceptre. 

"With  some  political  sagacity,  but  with  a  quicker  eye  Wallen- 

to  his  own  aggrandizement,  he  addressed  by  letter  a  fte™  ^tes 
ob         ^  .  J.  to  the  Em- 

suggestion   to   the  Emperor  to  gain  over    the  King  peror. 

of  Denmark  to  the  cause  of  the  League  by  negotia- 
tion, which,  as  has  been  above  related,  he  had  himself 
broached  in  his  quality  of  Duke  of  Mecklenburg.    Fer- 


258  ALBEECHT   TON   WAT/nSTET>". 

dinand  was  as  much  pleased  with  the  suggestion  as 
with  the  quarter  from  whence  it  came,  and  in  the  joy 
of  his  heart  replied  in  his  own  hand,  "  that  he  was 
delighted  to  find  that  his  dear  friend  did  not  forsake 
him  in  the  hour  of  difficulty."  Indeed  he  carried  his 
condescension  so  far  as  to  invite  "his  dear  friend"  to 
Vienna,  "to  consult  him  on  various  important  points 
concerning  the  war ;"  hut  this  did  not  at  all  accord 
with  the  views  of  his  astute  and  amhitious  corre- 
spondent. He  put  the  Danish  treaty  in  the  train  that 
led  to  the  Congress  of  Lubeck  ;  but,  having  pointed  out 
what  he  considered  the  most  judicious  mode  of  arrest- 
ing the  progress  of  the  Swedish  King,  he  appeared  to 
rest  in  his  retirement  indifferent  to  the  war,  and  to 
despise  the  combinations  of  such  remote  and  inconsider- 
able relations  B. 
Offers  to  On  the  death  of  Tilly,  in  1G32,  and  the  advance  of 

side  with     Gustavus  Adolphus  across  the  Rhine,  the  meditations 

the  Kino;  _  *  .... 

of  Sweden,  of  his  mind  began  to  bear  fruit,  although  still  as  yet 

only  in  the  dark  corners  of  his  imagination.    The  great 

Hero   was   not  yet  reconciled  in  his  heart  with  the 

Emperor,  who  had  personally  aggrieved  and  insulted 

him  ;  and  he  hated  the 

"  Monks  and  Priests,  and  all  their  trumpery," 

whom  he  knew  to  be  his  enemies,  and  that  they  held 
in  their  trammels  with  unyielding  grasp  the  conscience 
of  the  superstitious  and  ultra-Roman  Sovereign,  who 
had  treated  him  with  such  an  ungrateful  return  for  his 
services.  Wallenstein  therefore  did  not  lose  a  moment 
in  turning  to  the  rising  influence  of  Gustavus  Adol- 
phus. He  was  perfectly  indifferent  as  to  the  party  he 
should  serve  in  the  struggle,  and  utterly  reckless  as  to 
which  side  he  lent  his  sword  to  obtain  his  owrn  ends. 
(He  therefore  now  prepared  to  throw  aside  his  allegiance 
to  the  Emperor  and  the  Catholic  League,  and  to  accept 

5  Mitchell. 


ALBRECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN.  259 

the  cause  of  the  King  of  Sweden  and  the  Confederacy. 
With  this  view  he  sought  out  the  assistance  of  the 
banished  Count  Thurn,  his  earliest  adversary,  to  be  the 
bearer  of  his  congratulations  to  the  Swedish  King  on  his 
late  brilliant  success  ;  to  whom  he  offered  without  scru- 
ple the  assistance  of  an  army,  to  drive  the  Emperor  alto- 
gether out  of  Germany,  and  to  conquer  Bohemia  and 
Moravia ;  only  requiring  that  15,000  Swedish  troops 
should  be  placed  under  his  command,  to  be  combined 
with  such  forces  as  his  own  influence  could  assem- 
ble. Gustavus  was  ready  enough  to  receive  such  an 
unexpected  aid,  and  did  not  turn  a  cold  answer  to  it ; 
nevertheless,  he  hesitated  to  commit  so  much  power  to 
the  honesty  of  a  man  who  felt  no  shame  in  openly 
avowing  himself  a  traitor  ;  and,  after  giving  the  subject 
the  fullest  consideration,  the  Swedish  Monarch  excused 
himself,  on  the  plea  that  he  could  not  venture  to  dimi- 
nish his  forces  by  separating  from  them  so  large  a 
detachment.  He  afterwards  endeavoured  to  renew  the 
negotiation,  but  the  favourable  moment  was  past ;  and 
Wallenstein's  offended  pride  was  so  wounded,  that  he 
never  forgave  this  slight  put  upon  his  offer 6. 

Wallenstein  had   shot  his  bolt ;  but  he  had  other  Repelledby 
arrows  in  his  quiver.     Occupied  with  the  government    „e„   "j£ 
of  his  Duchies,  his  mind  was  never  withdrawn  for  an  Wallen- 
instant  from  the  great  schemes  he  was  forming  for  his  s*?m  seej. 
personal   revenge.      He   changed   his   residence   back-  ances. 
wards  and  forwards  between  Prague  and  Gitschen,  or 
Gitchin,  where  he  had  a  country  house,  to  give  occu- 
pation to  his  restless  spirit,  and  sent  out  trusty  agents 


6  It  is  right  to  state,  that  some  historians  deny  altogether  the 
assertion,  that  Wallenstein  entered  at  any  time  into  secret  corre- 
spondence with  the  enemies  of  the  Emperor,  as  being  neither 
probable  nor  proved.  Nevertheless,  Schiller  asserts  the  fact  in 
his  history,  as  above  stated  in  the  text ;  and  Harte  records  the 
opinion  of  Voltaire,  "that  the  conspiracy  of  Wallenstein  is  re- 
ceived as  an  historical  fact :  and  yet  the  world  has  been  long 
ignorant  of  what  kind  it  was." 

S   2 


2G0  ALBRECHT  TON  WALDSTEIN. 

every  where  to  learn,  with  something  like  accuracy,  the 
changing  incidents  of  the  war.  He  had  always  main- 
tained a  good  understanding  with  his  old  friend,  Count 
Arnheim,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Saxon  forces, 
and  who  had  been  on  his  staff,  and  who  was  indeed 
a  great  admirer  of  the  hero,  and  devoted  to  him  as  a 
soldier,  heart  and  hand.  Through  him  he  sought  to 
bring  about  a  personal  alliance  with  the  Elector  of 
Saxony,  the  rather  at  this  moment,  because  he  knew 
him  to  be  offended  at  the  lofty  pretensions  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  against  whom  Wallenstein  now  concentrated 
a  great  portion  of  his  bitterness.  Moreover,  it  was  now 
the  policy  of  the  Duke  of  Friedland  to  raise  up  a  third 
party  in  Germany,  which  might  place  itself,  through 
the  fortune  of  war,  in  his  own  hands,  and  at  once 
gratify  his  revenge  against  the  ingratitude  of  the 
Emperor,  and  the  neglect  of  the  Swedish  Monarch ; 
and  in  the  ruin  of  both  he  sought  to  obtain  the  king- 
dom of  Bohemia,  and  his  native  province,  Moravia. 
It  really  was,  indeed,  with  the  same  object  that  he  had 
acted  so  as  to  induce  the  King  of  Denmark  to  declare 
war  against  Sweden,  after  the  King  had  overrun  and 
reduced  Pomerania.  None  of  these  negotiations,  how- 
ever, had  any  successful  result ;  for  Gustavus  Adolphus 
continued,  without  any  serious  opposition,  his  successful 
inroad  into  Germany.  And  when  the  Imperialist  army, 
under  his  old  associate  Tilly,  was  worsted  at  Breitenfeld, 
in  September,  1631,  the  Duke  of  Friedland's  friends 
and  Bribed  adherents  in  Vienna  uttered  loud  complaints 
at  this  disgraceful  negligence ;  and  a  thousand  voices 
sounded  in  the  ears  of  the  Emperor,  "  Had  Wallen- 
stein commanded,  matters  would  never  have  come  to 
this 7." 

The  Empe-       The   immediate   pressure  of  necessity  finally  over- 
ror  tries  to 

1  "  All  eyes  were  turned  on  one, 

Their  helper  in  distress.     The  Emperor's  pride 

Bowed  itself  down  before  the  man  he  had  injured." 

Scuillek. 


ALBRECHT   VOU"   WALDSTEIN.  261 

came  the  consideration  of  mortified  pride  in  Ferdinand  ;  regain 
and,  deeply  sensible  of  his  own  personal  humiliation  in  ste'm>s  s"er. 
the  act,  the  Emperor  empowered  the  friends  of  the  vices :  con- 
Duke  of  Friedland  to  sound  him  as  to  his  willingness  Jj££°f  J£" 
to  return  to  the  command  of  the  Imperial  armies,  tho  latter. 
Wallenstein  was  at  this  moment  suffering  from  gout, 
in  his  palace  near  Prague,  and  on  this  excuse,  as 
well  as  from  necessity  or  policy,  he  again  declined  the 
invitation  to  attend  the  Imperial  Court.  He  had 
sufficient  self-command  to  conceal  his  inward  ex- 
ultation at  the  opening  of  the  negotiation,  and  in 
this  moment  of  long-desired  vengeance  to  assume 
the  mask  of  indifference.  The  Duke  of  Eggenhurg, 
Baron  de  Questenberg,  and  Werdenberg,  were  the 
Imperial  deputies,  who  were  authorized  by  the  Em- 
peror to  make  known  his  desire  to  have  him  back 
at  the  head  of  his  armies,  and  to  offer  him  a 
salary  of  100,000  florins  a  month,  with  the  supreme 
command 8.  But  he  long  resisted  the  urgent  entreaties 
of  these  mediators.  "  Too  long,"  he  said,  "  had  he 
tasted  the  pleasures  of  ease  and  independence,  to  sacri- 
fice to  the  vain  phantom  of  glory  the  uncertain  favour 
of  princes."  But  when  the  Saxon  army  was  already 
on  its  march  towards  Prague,  Wallenstein  removed 
from  the  Bohemian  capital  with  his  whole  court,  and 
repaired  to  Znaim,  in  Moravia,  to  be  altogether  out  of 
the  way  of  this  invasion.  The  progress  of  the  enemy, 
however,  increased  the  pressure  of  Ferdinand's  diffi- 
culties, and  the  terrified  Emperor  sent  the  Duke  of 
Eggenhurg  for  the  third  and  last  time  to  persuade  his 
friend  the  Duke  of  Friedland  to  yield  to  his  necessity. 
But  the  wily  Wallenstein  said,  "  he  never  could  trust 
to  a  restoration  to  command  which  he  owed  to  the 
Emperor's  necessity,  and  not  to  his  sense  of  justice." 
The  Duke  of  Eggenhurg,  at  length  driven  to  play  a  last 
card,  assumed  a  loftier  tone,  and  threatened  the  Impe- 

8  Such  a  salary  would  amount  in  sterling  money  to  £108,000 
per  annum,  which  was  an  immense  pay. 


202  AUiUECllT    YON    WALDSTEIN. 

rial  resentment  if  the  General  longer  persisted  in  his 
refusal.  "  Ferdinand  required  his  serviees  as  his  bene- 
factor ;  and  as  Emperor  he  demanded  them." — "  What- 
ever price  Wallenstein  might  demand  for  his  obedience, 
the  Kaiser  would  readily  agree  to  ;  but  if  he  demurred 
any  longer,  the  weight  of  the  Imperial  indignation 
should  crush  the  refractory  servant."  The  Duke  of 
Eriedland  well  knew  that  the  whole  of  his  extensive 
possessions  were  open  and  utterly  exposed  to  the  power 
of  the  Emperor,  and  was  convinced  that  he  had  now 
sufficiently  tested  the  weakness  and  despair  which  dic- 
tated the  offer,  and  that  as  he  had  held  back  sufficiently 
to  attain,  if  indeed  it  were  ever  possible,  to  the  summit 
of  his  desires,  his  affected  reluctance  now  appeared  to 
be  overcome,  and  he  made  a  show  of  yielding  to  the 
persuasions  of  Eggenburg;  but  he  insisted  on  some 
conditions  for  his  obedience,  that  might  be  written 
down  and  settled  before  he  accepted  the  command. 
"The  Duke  of  Friedland  required  the  uncontrolled 
command  over  all  the  German  armies  of  Austria  and 
Spain,  with  unlimited  power  to  reward  and  punish. 
Neither  the  King  of  Hungary  (whom  the  Emperor  had 
wished  to  be  installed  in  the  highest  command),  nor 
even  the  Emperor  himself,  was  ever  to  appear  in  his 
army,  much  less  to  exercise  the  slightest  authority  in  it. 
No  commission,  no  pension,  nor  letter  of  grace,  was  to 
be  granted  by  the  Kaiser,  without  Wallenstein's  ap- 
proval. As  an  ordinary  reward  for  his  allegiance,  an 
Imperial  hereditary  estate  in  Austria  was  to  be  assigned 
to  him.  As  the  extraordinary  reward  of  success  in  the 
field,  he  required  that  he  should  be  Lord  Paramount 
over  the  conquered  countries,  and  that  all  conquests 
and  confiscations  should  be  placed  entirely  at  his  dis- 
posal. He  insisted  that  all  means  and  monies  for 
carrying  on  the  war  should  be  solely  at  his  command ; 
and,  at  the  conclusion  of  peace,  he  demanded  the 
assurance,  that  the  Duchy  of  Mecklenburg  should  be 
admitted  to  his  capitulation."     In  vain  did  Eggenburg 


ALBBECHT    VON   WALDSTEIN.  263 

entreat  Wallenstein  to  moderate  his  demands,  which. 

the  Emperor  could  not  grant  without  being  deprived 

of  all  Imperial  authority  over  his  armies.      He  even 

condescended  to   suggest  that  his   son,  the   King  of 

Hungary,  might  remain  with  the  army,  to  learn  the 

art  of  war  under  Wallenstein.     The  Duke  of  Friedland 

was  not,  as  has  already  been  clearly  manifested,  a  man 

of  much  Christian  or  loyal  sentiment,  and,  with  much 

profaneness,    and    greater    presumption,   he    declared, 

"  Never  will  I  submit  to  any  colleague  in  my  office — 

no,   not   even  if  it  were  God  himself  with  whom   I 

should  have  to  share  my  command."     It  would  seem 

that  in  the  depths  of  his  despair  the  Emperor  did  not 

consider  the  conditions  of  his  subject  so  arrogant  as 

they  probably  afterwards  appeared  to  him  when  he  had 

recovered  his  position ;  at  all  events  he  did  not  hesitate 

to  accept  them,  and  a  compact  in  the  sense  of  them  was 

duly  signed  on  the  15th  of  April,  1632. 

Wallenstein  did  not    delay  to   fulfil   the   promises  Wallen- 

which  he  had  made.     The  fundamentals  of  the  enter-  s  f,1.^  s  vab 

military 

prise  having,  in  truth,  been  long  laid,  and  the  machinery  popularity. 

having  been  well  prepared  for  the  purpose,  both  were 

soon  put  in  motion.     As  soon  as  the  news  transpired 

that  the  Duke  of  Friedland  was  about  to  levy  troops, 

crowds  of  soldiers  offered  their  services  to  try  their 

fortune  under  this  favourite  and  experienced  General.  \ 

Many  who  had  served  under  him  formerly,  and  gone 

into  retirement,  came  forth  again,  ready  to  share  with 

him  both  booty  and  glory.    The  great  pay  he  promised 

attracted  others,  and  the  regular  and  plentiful  supply 

thus  secured  to  the  mercenary,  as  it  was  to  be  paid  by 

the  peasant,  was  an  irresistible  inducement  to  all  classes 

to  embrace  the  military  life,  instead  of  being  the  victims 

of  its  oppression9.      All  the  Imperial  provinces  were 

9  " The  drum  was  beat,  and  lo  ! 

The  plough,  the  workshop,  is  forsaken — all 
Swarm  to  the  old  familiar  banner."         Schilleh. 


264  ALBRECITT   VON   WALE-STEIN. 

called  upon  to  assist  in  the  equipment.  No  class  in 
Austria  was  exempted  from  this  taxation :  no  dignity 
or  privilege  could  be  claimed  from  capitation.  Wallen- 
stein  lavished  money  out  of  his  own  purse  to  hasten 
the  armament.  By  his  bounty  and  dexterity  he  drew 
to  his  standard  all  the  disbanded  veteran  troops  that 
had  ever  served  under  the  Imperial  ensigns ;  and  he 
took  especial  care  to  attract  every  commander  of  note, 
of  which  sort  there  were  many,  Avhose  swords  and 
consciences  were  always  ready  for  sale.  Though  he 
was  known  to  punish  with  more  than  Roman  rigour, 
yet  it  was  recognized  that  he  rewarded  with  more  than 
Eoman  profusion ;  for  which  reason  all  who  were  con- 
scious of  military  merit  delighted  to  serve  under  him. 
Nor  was  the  Court  of  Vienna  idle  in  its  co-operation. 
Orders  were  given  to  supply  the  army  with  every  neces- 
sary that  could  be  imagined ;  and  the  provinces  were  all 
required  to  make  liberal  contributions.  The  Kings  of 
Spain  and  Hungary  yielded  considerable  sums  to  the 
same  object.  The  Duke  of  Friedland  and  Mecklenburg 
did  not  hesitate  to  treat  with  several  foreign  states  in 
his  own  name,  to  solicit  men  and  money.  The  Duke 
of  Lorraine  transmitted  supplies,  and  Poland  sent  Cos- 
sacks, while  even  the  Princes  of  Italy  furnished  some 
military  necessaries.  At  the  end  of  three  months, 
40,000  men,  furnished  even  to  superfluity  with  every 
thing  needful  for  war,  commanded  by  tried  and  ex- 
perienced officers,  and  inflamed  by  an  enthusiasm  for 
their  chief  which  seemed  to  assure  victoiy,  were  assem- 
bled under  his  personal  command,  and  reviewed  by  him 
at  Pilsen,  whence  he  immediately  put  them  in  motion, 
to  drive  the  Saxons  out  of  Bohemia. 
Drives  the  It  was  just  at  the  period  when  Tilly  had  succumbed 
Saxons  out  at  the  battle  of  the  Lech,  that  the  Saxon  army, 
mia.  whose  lam-els  acquired  at  the  battle  of  Leipzig  had  not 

been  very  bright,  yet  from  association  with  the  Swedes 
were  still  flushed  with  the  brilliant  results,  occupied 
Bohemia  under  Arnheim.    Wallenstein,  always  an  adept 


ALBEECHT   VON   WALDSTEIN.  265 

in  artifice  and  dissimulation,  knew  that  he  had  in  the 
Saxon  General  a  ready  agent,  and  therefore  tried  first  to 
work  upon  the  indolence  and  insincerity  of  his  master, 
the  Elector,  to  whom  he  made  considerable  offers ;  but 
the  relative  situation  of  the  Emperor  and  the  King  of 
Sweden  gave  a  preference  to  the  friendship  of  the  latter 
in  John  George's  mind  at  this  juncture. 

The  reduction  of  Bohemia  was  under  all  the  circum-  Invades 
stances  of  such  easy  operation,  that  Wallenstein  made  it  g1( ,  ret  uces 
his  first  employment.  Fortune  still  clung  to  his  sword. 
After  a  short  resistance,  the  gates  of  Prague  were  opened 
to  one  of  his  regiments  by  the  treachery  of  some  Capu- 
chin monks  ;  but  the  Saxon  garrison  made  good  show  of 
resistance  at  first,  and  even  repulsed  the  Imperialists 
after  a  considerable  breach  had  been  opened ;  but  those 
who  retired  to  the  citadel  laid  down  their  arms  upon 
disgraceful  conditions ;  and  Bohemia  was  again  freed 
from  an  enemy.  The  Emperor  rewarded  his  Generalis- 
simo for  this  first  success  with  the  Duchy  of  Glogau, 
in  Silesia.  Wallenstein,  master  of  the  capital,  hastened 
to  seize  the  narrow  passes  between  Aussig  and  Pirna, 
and  now  proposed  to  carry  the  war  into  the  Electorate 
of  Saxony.  But  Maximilian  of  Bavaria,  who  had  been 
deprived  by  the  death  of  Tilly  of  his  best  support,  and 
was  at  this  moment  sorely  pressed  by  the  enemy,  solicited 
the  Duke  of  Friedland  to  hasten  to  his  assistance  ;  and 
Ferdinand  seconded  the  request  with  all  his  influence. 
But  it  soon  appeared  how  completely  the  Imperial 
authority  had  been  sacrificed,  by  the  concessions  it  had 
made  to  the  arrogant  General.  The  Duke  of  Friedland 
was  alike  indifferent  both  to  Maximilian's  entreaties 
and  to  the  Emperor's  commands,  and  remained  on  the 
confines  of  Bohemia  intent  on  his  Saxon  aspirations,  and 
glad  to  abandon  Maximilian  to  his  fate,  in  remembrance 
of  the  evfl  turn  which  he  had  given  the  implacable  Duke 
at  the  Diet  of  Batisbon ;  nor  was  he  less  pleased  at  his 
power  to  chafe  the  curb  of  the  Emperor's  impotence. 

Whether  or  no,   however,  this  delay  in  marching  Joins  the 

forces  of 


260  ALBBECHT  VOX  WALDSTELN. 

the  Elector  down  to  the  Danube  arose  I'rom  a  feeling  of  personal 
of  Bavaria.  revenge,  or  any  other  bad  passion,  some  good  military 
reasons  may  be  assigned  for  Wallenstein's  proceedings. 
The  Swedes,  after  their  success  on  the  Lech,  had  sal 
down   before   Nuremberg,   and  the   Imperial   General 
might  possibly  have  thought  that   it  was  the  better 
strategy  for  Austria  that   the    Swedes    should  waste 
their  strength  before  the  Bavarian  fortress,  while  he 
was  preparing  against  them  a  stunning  blow  in  another 
quarter.     In  the  mean  while,  however,  the  army  of  the 
Duke  of  Friedland  became  increased  to  60,000  men, 
who  had  attained  to  perfect  order  and  admirable  dis- 
cipline.      Yielding  to  the  pressing  entreaties   of  his 
Sovereign,  he  did  at  length  march  south,  and  effected 
the  long-expected  union  with  the  forces  of  the  Elector 
of  Bavaria  at  Egra.     The  petty  Sovereign,  however,  and 
the  Generalissimo  hated  one  another,  and  came  at  the 
very  first  juncture  to  an  open  quarrel,  as  to  the  assump- 
tion of  the  chief  command  of  the  combined  army  of 
Imperialists  and  Bavarians,  which  ended,  after  some 
altercation,  in  a  kind  of  half-compromise,  to  Wallen- 
stein's advantage  ;  after  which  the  two  Generals  publicly 
embraced  each  other  in  the  sight  of  the  troops,  and 
entertained  for  a  time  a  hollow  friendship. 
Abstains  With  such  an  army  as  Wallenstein  commanded,  it 

from  dis-     has  been  thought   strange  that  it  should  have  been 
Khli"^^116  withdrawn,  and  that  Gustavus  Adolphus— whose  army 
Sweden  at    did  not  exceed  at  this  moment  22,000  men — should 
Nurem-       ^ave   -^een    auowec\   to  pursue  his   operations   before 
Nuremberg   undisturbed;    but  it  has  been  surmised, 
that  the  King's  immense  preponderance  of  artillery  pre- 
vented the  Imperialists  from  making  any  direct  advance 
upon  the  Swedes,  who  are  said  to  have  had  with  them 
300  guns,  provided  with  excellent  attelage  and  ample 
ammunition.     These  were  now  already  placed  on  the 
ramparts  and  intrenchments  of  Nuremberg,  where  the 
King  formed  a  strongly  intrenched  camp ;    the  fosse 
eight  feet  deep  and  twelve  feet  broad,  which  the  good 


ALBKE0I1T    YON    WAEDSTEEN.  267 

will  of  the  surrounding  peasantry  assisting  the  Swedish 
soldiery  enabled  him  to  form,  completely  secured  the 
protection  of  his  camp ;  and  the  magistrates  and 
authorities  of  the  surrounding  district  amply  filled  his 
magazines  with  provisions ;  so  that  he  possessed  the 
means  of  sustaining  any  amount  of  siege. 

The  Imperialist  army  advanced  by  slow  marches  to  Declines  an 
Neumark,  about  thirty  miles  from  Katisbon.  Here  ei^,°"!lte,r 
Wallenstein  reviewed  this  combined  army,  and  at  sight  vns  Adol- 
of  the  formidable  force  he  commanded  could  not  resist  Pnus- 
the  childish  boast,  "  In  four  days  it  will  be  shown 
whether  I  or  the  King  of  Sweden  is  to  be  master  of 
the  world."  Yet,  notwithstanding  the  efficiency  of 
this  fine  force,  he  did  not  attack.  "  Battles  enough 
have  been  fought,"  he  said;  "it  is  time  now  to  try 
another  method."  His  scheme  is  said  to  have  been 
to  wear  out  his  opponent  by  a  tedious  blockade,  and 
to  act  upon  the  Fabian  principle — to  hazard  nothing, 
but  to  hover  about  and  to  deprive  his  antagonist  of  the 
opportunity  of  availing  himself  of  the  impetuous  bravery 
of  despair.  Accordingly  he  proceeded  to  erect  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Pegnitz  an  equally  strong  fortified 
camp ;  and  by  means  of  this  well-chosen  position  he 
hoped  to  cut  off  Gustavus  from  all  supplies  that  might 
be  coming  up  to  him  out  of  Franconia,  Suabia,  or 
Thuringia.  It  was  a  matter  of  astonishment  to  lookers-^ 
on,  that  two  such  armies,  led  on  by  two  such  renowned 
leaders,  on  whose  conduct  the  fate  of  Germany  de- 
pended, should  remain  gazing  at  each  other  for  weeks 
without  striking  a  blow  of  any  kind,  if  we  except  the 
trivial  onsets,  ambuscades,  and  skirmishes,  to  procure 
forage,  and  intercept  convoys.  The  truth  is,  Wallen- 
stein  had  all  along  a  certain  dread  of  coming  to  blows 
with  Gustavus.  There  was  in  the  King's  operations  a 
principle  of  strategy  that  perplexed  and  puzzled  the 
Duke  of  Friedland,  and  created  serious  apprehensions 
in  the  mind  of  that  General,  causing  a  visible  alteration 
in  his  way  of  proceeding.     He  even  changed  the  de- 


2G8  ALDEECnT   TON   WALDSTEIN. 

cisive  tone  of  speech,  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
using  in  matters  of  war.  From  being  confident,  he 
became  distrustful ;  and  what  was  once  haughtiness 
and  obstinacy  softened  into  deference  and  docility10. 
He  is  thought  to  have  considered  that  any  check  which 
he  might  receive  at  this  juncture  might  irretrievably 
ruin  the  Imperial  cause,  and  that  therefore  he  would 
not  rush  heedlessly  to  battle,  seeing  that  he  might 
more  securely  destroy  his  opponents  by  famine  and 
pestilence.  But  he  did  not  adopt  sufficient  precautions 
to  avert  from  himself  the  fate  that  he  was  designing 
for  his  adversary.  The  peasantry,  fleeing  from  the 
whole  of  the  country  adjoining  his  camp,  took  with 
them  all  their  property  ;  so  that  both  the  Imperialists 
and  the  Swedes  in  their  urgency  were  obliged  to  send 
forth  their  foraging  parties  into  common  districts,  to 
obtain  supplies ;  and  the  Croats  and  Swedish  horse 
contested  its  possession  so  stoutly,  that  each  required 
numerous  escorts  to  cover  them.  Bloody  conflicts, 
with  doubtful  issues,  daily  occurred  to  obtain  pro- 
visions, which  could  only  be  secured  for  either  army 
sword  in  hand.  A  convoy  that  the  Imperialists  wire 
expecting  from  a  distance,  coming  up  under  an  escort 
of  1000  men,  was  pounced  upon  on  the  way  by  the 
Swedes,  who,  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  night, 
secured  it  for  themselves  ;  and  one  fine  morning  12,000 
cattle  were  driven  into  the  Nuremberg  camp  in  despite, 
while  1000  waggons  laden  with  bread  were  of  necessity 
burned  to  save  them  from  recapture.  A  more  serious 
affair  of  the  same  kind  near  Altdorf  also  terminated  to 
the  advantage  of  the  Swedish  cavalry,  who  routed  seven 
Austrian  regiments,  with  the  loss  of  about  100  men. 
Wallenstein,  seeing  these  many  checks  and  increasing 
difficulties,  repented  that  he  had  declined  to  hazard  a 
battle  at  the  beginning ;  but  the  increased  strengtb  of 
the  Swedish  camp  now  rendered  the  thought  of  making 

'°  Harte. 


receive 

rein- 


ALBBECHT  TON  WALDSTEIN.  269 

an  attack  upon  it  impracticable.  The  King  acted 
steadily  upon  his  favourite  axiom,  "  that  a  good  general 
with  a  small  army  could  hardly  ever  be  obliged  to 
fight,  if  he  acted  with  due  vigilance,  forethought,  and 
activity." 

After  the  armies  had  remained  some  time  opposed  to  The  Swedes 

each  other  behind  unassailable  intrenchments,  extensive  Feceiv 
.    r.  large  - 

reinforcements  collected,  and  even  led,  by  the  Swedish  force- 
Chancellor,  Oxenstierna,  in  person,  reached  the  camp  of  ments' 
the  King.  Duke  Bernhard  of  Saxe  Weimar,  the  Land- 
grave of  Hesse,  and  the  Palatine  of  Birkenfeld,  with 
many  German  garrisons  and  Saxon  regiments,  had 
united  with  the  Swedish  division  of  General  Baner, 
and,  passing  the  Bednitz  at  Ellersdorf,  also  unmolested, 
effected  their  junction  with  the  royal  army  at  Winds- 
heim.  They  amounted  together  to  50,000  men,  with 
60  pieces  of  cannon,  and  ample  supplies  ;  so  that  Gus- 
tavus  Adolphus  was  now  at  the  head  of  70,000  men, 
and  might  turn  the  tables  upon  the  Duke  of  Friedland. 
The  Imperialists,  however,  had  also  received  some  ac- 
cession of  strength  out  of  Bavaria  in  their  camp ;  al- 
though in  both  armies  infectious  diseases  already  pre- 
vailed to  a  very  serious  extent,  and  decimated  the  thus 
augmented  strength  of  both. 

To  put  an  end  to   these   distresses,  the   King   of  Gustavus 
Sweden,  relying  on  his  great  numerical  superiority,  was  gf^Tj. 
the  first  to  cpiit  his  fines ;  and  on  the  21st  of  August  Imperial 
formed  his  army  in  order  of  battle,  and  cannonaded  camP- 
the  Duke's  camp  from  batteries  erected  on  the  further 
side  of  the  river.     He  entrusted  the  defence  of  his  in- 
trenched camp  to  the  militia  of  Nuremberg,  and,  passing 
the  Bednitz  at  Furth,  at  its  confluence  with  the  Pegnitz, 
drove  the  enemy's  outposts  before  him.     The  Duke  of 
Friedland,  however,  remained  immoveable  in  his  in- 
trenchments, and  contented  himself  with  a  distant  fire 
of  cannon  and  musketry  upon  his  adversary.    His  plan 
was,  to  wear  out  Gustavus  by  his  inertness,  and  by  the 
force  of  famine ;  and  neither  the  remonstrances  of  the 


270  ALBRECITT   TON   WAI/DSTETN. 

Elector  of  Bavaria,  nor  the  impatience  of  his  Generals, 
nor  tlic  scornful  ridicule  of  the  Swedes,  could  shake  his 
purpose.    He  was  only  so  far  moved,  as  to  send  express 
upon  express  to  Pappenheim,  to  implore  him  to  bring 
or  send  to  him  such  reinforcements  as  might  render 
him  more  a  match  for  the  King.      But   that    com- 
mander,   who    loved    neither    the    Generalissimo    nor 
Maximilian,  affected  independence ;    and  he  met  the 
orders    with    ceremonious    excuses     and    well-devised 
delays.     Gustavus  thus  deceived  in  his  hope  of  battle, 
and  compelled  to  action  by  his  increasing  necessities, 
resolved  to  cut  the  knot  and  storm  the  Imperial  camp, 
although  art  and  nature  combined  to  render  it  im- 
pregnable. 
Desperate         Wallenstein's  camp  was  posted  on  the  steep  heights 
between       between  the  Biber  and  the  Rednitz,  on  the  edge  of 
the  Swedes  which  the  whole  of  his  artillery  was  dispersed.     Thick 
j,K     .,      barricades,  with   sharp  palisades,  deep   trenches,   and 
ists.    The    inaccessible  redoubts,  commanded  every  approach  to  it. 
King  of       Tlie  Imperial  officers  in  command  were  every  where 
falls  into  a  charged,  under  pain  of  the  Generalissimo's  highest  dis- 
snare.  pleasure,  not  to  allow  themselves  to  be  transported  by 

heat  of  passion,  or  any  seeming  fitness  of  opportunit}r, 
into  any  further  engagement  than  what  was  literally 
defensive.  The  Swedish  army  was  nevertheless  ordered 
to  make  an  assault  on  the  whole  extent  of  the  position, 
though  certain  destruction  awaited  the  assailants.  The 
attack  was  furious,  and  the  defence  obstinate :  the  in- 
trepid band  of  Germans,  to  whom  the  King  had  con- 
fided the  task  of  honour,  was  driven  back  by  the  com- 
bined strength  of  nature  and  of  man.  Exasperated  at 
their  retreat,  the  King  himself  led  forward  his  own 
Finlanders ;  but  they,  after  an  equally  hot  reception, 
yielded  to  the  superiority  of  the  defence.  One  thousand 
mangled  bodies  covered  the  field ;  but  Gustavus  un- 
dauntedly persevered,  while  Wallenstein  calmly  and 
securely  held  his  position  unshaken.  The  cavalry 
were  then  introduced  into  the  struggle.      Duke  Bern- 


ALBEECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN".  271 

hard  as  well  as  the  Duke  of  Friedland  contended  in 
person  at  the  head  of  their  respective  cavalry,  and  had 
each  of  them  a  horse  killed  under  him  ;  and  the  King 
himself  had  the  sole  of  his  hoot  carried  off  by  a  cannon- 
ball  in  one  of  the  charges.  The  combat,  however,  con- 
tinued into  the  night ;  but  so  much  rain  fell  in  the 
course  of  it,  that  in  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  August 
the  Swedes  found  that  they  could  not  move  their 
cannon,  and  did  not  venture  to  renew  the  contest.  Gus- 
tavus  accordingly  dismantled  his  batteries ;  and,  em- 
ploying the  rest  of  the  22nd  and  the  23rd  in  passing 
his  army  across  the  Eednitz,  above  the  town  of  Furth, 
determined  to  attempt  to  dislodge  the  Duke  of  Fried- 
land  from  that  portion  of  his  encampment  on  which 
stood  the  Castle  of  Altenberg,  or  "  Alte  Feste,"  which, 
as  the  name  implies,  was  a  very  high  position.  Wallen- 
stein,  instantly  discerning  the  King's  object,  occupied 
the  old  castle  with  augmented  forces,  and  intrenched 
himself  there  anew.  He  immured  himself  (so  to  speak) 
behind  a  threefold  barrier  of  abattis,  and  ramparts 
of  stout  oak-trees,  each  rising  in  a  semicircle  the 
one  above  the  other,  while  the  forest  of  Altenberg 
spread  itself  around.  It  was  a  rash  enterprise  of 
Gustavus  to  hope  to  make  a  lodgment  in  such  a 
citadel ;  but  it  has  been  said  that  he  was  persuaded  to 
attempt  it  by  the  address  and  deceit  of  Aldringer. 
"While  the  Swedish  army  was  yet  at  prayer  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  21th,  a  valet  de  chambre  of  that  General,  one 
who  was  an  enterprising  genius,  and  who  had  risen  into 
confidence  by  his  courage  and  dexterity,  was  brought 
prisoner  into  the  King's  presence.  This  adventurer 
induced  Gustavus  to  believe  that  some  movements  of 
the  Imperialists,  which  were  in  progress  for  the  occu- 
pation of  the  position,  were  in  truth  an  actual  decamp- 
ing ;  for  that  the  troops  had  remonstrated  with  the 
Generalissimo  at  the  unnecessary  sacrifice  of  their 
lives ;  who  were  ready,  indeed,  to  die  as  soldiers  ought, 
in    open    fight,    but    who   did    not    choose    to   remain 


272  ALBEECHT  TON  WALDSTEIN. 

in  the  camp  to  perish  by  famine.  The  King's  judg- 
ment, which,  on  cooler  examination,  would  have  led 
him  to  decline  the  rash  attempt,  was  ensnared  hy 
this  artifice,  and  he  ordered  his  men  to  advance. 
There  was  an  arched  projection  to  the  castle  on 
one  side  of  the  height,  overhung  with  trees ;  and 
here  Wallenstein,  Gallas,  and  Aldringer,  awaited  the 
Swedish  attack  of  "  commanded  musketeers,"  led  for- 
ward  hy  the  brother  of  Saxe  Weimar,  under  the  fire  of 
Torstenson's  artillery,  consisting  of  200  guns.  Wallen- 
stein replied  to  this  with  unwearied  diligence.  The 
whole  combined  operation  was  centred  in  the  one 
object — to  get  possession  of  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  Swedes  advanced  with  unabated  courage ; 
and  word  was  brought  Wallenstein  "  that  the  King  had 
mounted  the  hill."  With  his  wonted  profaneness,  the 
Generalissimo  replied,  "  that  he  would  not  believe  in  a 
Supreme  Being  in  heaven  if  that  castle  could  be  taken 
from  him."  The  thing  was  impossible.  The  Swedes  were 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Imperialists  from  head  to  foot, 
while  they  lay  almost  buried  behind  the  branches  of 
trees  and  parapets  of  felled  oaks ;  so  that  after  ten 
hours  of  the  bloodiest  service  the  King  perceived  that 
all  were  fruitless  attempts,  and  inevitable  slaughter. 
Night  stopped  the  butchery  ;  and  Wallenstein  remained 
thenceforth  undisturbed  within  his  fines.  For  fourteen 
days  each  army  retained  its  position,  in  the  hope 
that  the  other  might  be  the  first  to  give  way.  Distress 
for  provisions  still  prevailed  to  a  fearful  extent  in  each 
camp,  and  at  length  the  soldiers  in  both  became  muti- 
nous and  unmanageable.  But  here  the  iron  will  of 
Wallenstein  was  more  powerful  than  the  kinder  rule  of 
Gustavus.  Affected  to  the  heart  by  the  general  want, 
and  despairing  of  wearing  out  the  endurance  of  his 
antagonist,  Gustavus  at  length  broke  up  his  camp  on  the 
8th  of  September,  and  marched  away,  leaving  a  suffi- 
cient garrison  in  Nuremberg  to  defend  the  ramparts. 

Wallen-  The  Duke  of  Friedland  evinced  on  these  operations 

stein  en- 


ALBEECHT    VOJT   WALDSTEIN.  273 

his  highest  military  qualities.  Never  lived  a  com-  deavoursto 
mander  hetter  calculated  to  keep  down  that  most  skiers 
dangerous  spirit  of  officers  who  often  do  great  mis- 
chief by  an  useless  display  of  animal  courage,  without 
the  corresponding  qualities  of  discretion  and  conduct. 
He  took  a  pride  in  showing  that  an  idle  waste  of  sol- 
diers' blood  was  no  part  of  his  principle ;  that  he  had 
other  ways  of  obtaining  an  object ;  and  he  loved  to 
prove  that  he  possessed  the  power  of  curbing  his  fol- 
lowers equally  from  mischief  without  the  camp  as  from 
mischief  within.  When  the  Swedish  General,  Knip- 
hausen,  with  a  foolish  bravado  (which  there  was  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  King  approved,  and  which 
was  especially  bad  taste  after  what  had  happened) 
marched  his  division  from  the  royal  camp  in  front 
of  the  Imperial  intrenchments,  with  a  studied  and 
measured  slowness,  and  with  drums  beating  and  colours 
flying,  Wallenstein,  indifferent  himself  to  this  absurd 
defiance,  but  knowing  how  calculated  it  was  to  irritate 
his  soldiers, — 

"  O'er  their  wild  mood  full  conquest  gained, 
The  pride  he  would  not  crush,  restrained :" 

the  conqueror  ordered  his  men  to  stand  to  their 
arms,  steady  and  ready  for  action ;  but  he  merely 
withdrew  his  outposts  within  his  lines,  and  allowed 
the  enemy  to  retreat  according  to  their  own  whim, 
without  any  molestation.  Moreover,  he  remained 
tranquil  in  his  camp  for  five  days  after  the  King's  de- 
parture, and  afterwards  justified  the  apparent  military 
defect  of  not  having  energetically  followed  up  his  suc- 
cess against  a  worsted  adversary  by  pleading  his  defi- 
ciency of  cavalry,  and  adding,  "  that  he  expected  Pap- 
penheim  to  arrive,  and  that  then  it  would  '  be  all  up ' 
with  Gustavus." 

The  Duke  of  Friedland  did  not,  however,  altogether 
lose  his  time  in  this  delay.  He  personally  visited  all 
his  wounded,  administered  to  their  necessities,  praised 

T 


27  I  AJ.BEECHT    V.iN    u  LLDSTEIN. 

their  gallant  deeds  individually,  and  then,  as  always, 
profuse  in  his  rewards,  he  distributed  large  gifts  of 
money  amongst  all  ranks — 1000  crowns  to  a  colonel, 
15  to  a  private,  and  to  all  the  intermediate  ranks  in 
proportion.  Discriminating  liberality  of  this  kind, 
justly  and  speedily  dispensed,  is  a  true  clement  of 
power,  and  no  one  understood  its  effect  and  influence 
so  well  as  Wallenstein,  for  it  raised  him  considerably 
above  the  mass  of  contemporary  commanders,  who 
appeared  to  have  regarded  their  hap-bazard  levies  as 
mere  creatures  of  their  private  ambition,  and  food  for 
powder.  Indeed,  it  may  be  laid  down  as  a  sound 
military  principle,  that  every  thing  that  proves  to  a 
soldier  that  he  is  cared  for  by  his  officers  elevates  his 
self-esteem,  and,  while  it  renders  him  more  docile  and 
obedient,  fits  him  for  the  most  devoted  action. 

The  Generalissimo  renders  an  account  of  the  fight 
at  Altenburg  in  an  efficient  report  to  the  Emperor,  that 
is  still  extant.  The  victor  speaks  modestly  of  himself, 
and  allows  that  his  position  was,  at  one  moment,  nearly 
carried  by  the  King ;  but  he  is,  on  the  other  hand,  pro- 
fuse in  praise  of  both  officers  and  soldiers,  and  solicits 
for  them  marks  of  Imperial  favour  and  protection. 
The  conclusion  of  the  despatch  is  characteristic  of  the 
man,  at  once  a  courtier  and  a  general :  "  The  King  has 
blunted  his  horns  in  this  invpressa,  and  the  result  has 
shown  that  he  can  no  longer  claim  the  title  of  invic- 
tissimus,  which  must  hereafter  belong  to  Your  Majesty 
alone.  Yet  the  King  made  a  skilful  retreat,  and  showed 
clearly  that  he  understood  his  business."  Wallenstein 
placed  his  own  loss  in  the  engagement  at  400,  and  that 
of  the  enemy  at  2000,  which  is  about  the  truth,  as 
admitted  by  the  other  side.  The  old  warriors  far  ex- 
ceeded in  their  frank  candour  modern  generals,  who 
evince  in  this  matter  the  most  shameless  effrontery  and 
lying  in  their  bulletins  ;  and  men  had  not  yet  learned  to 
practise  the  ridiculous  exaggerations  of  those  who  strive 
by  such  means  to  forge  a  short-lived  fame. 


ALBRECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN.  275 

Wallenstein  now  saw  the  King's  departure  with  high  He  tries  to 

gratification,  for  he  had  tried  the  endurinsr  obstinacy  £etacn 
c  i_  •  it-  Saxony 

01  his  troops  to  the  uttermost,  so  that  having  accom-  from  the 

plished  his  object  he  himself  raised  his  camp  at  Zirndorf,  Swedish 
and,  marching  his  army  away,  set  it  on  fire.  Wallen- 
stein appears  to  have  had  in  view  political  and  personal, 
as  well  as  military  objects  in  the  course  he  now  pursued. 
He  marched  down  the  valley  of  the  Kednitz  to  Bam- 
berg, where  he  again  mustered  his  forces.  He  found 
the  army,  which,  when  he  had  reviewed  it  at  Neumark, 
was  60,000  strong,  was  now  diminished  by  the  sword,  by 
desertion,  and  disease,  to  no  more  than  24,000,  of  whom 
one-fourth  were  Bavarians.  The  Duke  of  Friedland  ac- 
cordingly resolved  to  give  his  opponent  the  go-by,  and 
to  move  in  the  direction  of  Saxony.  This  step  has 
been  regarded  by  the  admirers  of  Wallenstein  as  a 
masterpiece  of  policy  and  skilful  generalship.  In  order 
to  prevent  the  King  from  making  Bavaria  the  seat  of 
war,  he  despatched  Maximilian  to  guard  his  own  Elec- 
torate,— glad  enough  to  part  with  this  associate,  for  he 
was  weary  of  the  restraint  which  his  presence  imposed 
upon  him ;  and,  still  adhering  to  his  purpose  of  de- 
taching Saxony  from  the  Swedish  alliance,  he  directed 
his  army  through  Bayreuth  and  Coburg,  putting  the 
Maine  and  the  mountains  of  Thuringia  between  himself 
and  the  King,  while  he  resolved  to  occupy  the  Saxon 
Electorate  for  his  winter-quarters.  The  conjuncture 
was  especially  favourable  to  his  views,  for  his  friend 
Anaheim,  with  the  Saxon  army,  was  gone  away,  as  he 
probably  well  knew,  to  invade  Silesia ;  and  this  diver- 
sion against  an  adversary,  which  might  rescue  one  of  the 
hereditary  dominions  from  ravage,  was  a  potent  answer 
to  Maximilian  for  separating  from  him,  and  to  the 
Emperor  Ferdinand  for  the  course  he  had  adopted. 
Pappenheim  at  length  had  arrived  to  reinforce  his 
diminished  army ;  when  Grallas  and  Hoik  were  sent 
away  into  Voigtland,  to  lay  waste  that  defenceless 
province  with  fire  and  sword. 

t  2 


27G  ALBKEC11T    VON    WA.LDSTEIX. 

\\  all.n-  Gustavus  Adolphus  measured  the  full  extent  of  the 

in  his  at-  ohject  of  the  Duke  of  Friedland,  and  having  many 
tack  upon  misgivings  as  to  the  firmness  of  the  Elector  John 
fCh  •  ^rederick,  was  naturally  apprehensive  of  the  defection 
but  takes  of  Saxony  from  the  Confederacy,  which  might  seriously 
Leipzig.  affect  his  future  prospects  for  Germany.  He  had,  at 
his  first  start  from  Nuremberg,  engaged  his  army  in 
the  siege  of  Ingoldstadt  on  the  Danube,  and  was  ahout 
to  make  a  second  attack  on  that  fortress,  satisfied  that 
he  had  nothing  to  fear  from  the  weakness  of  the  Elector 
of  Bavaria,  when  he  heard  of  Wallenstein's  movement, 
and  listened  to  the  pressing  entreaties  of  John  George 
to  go  to  the  relief  of  Saxony.  Accordingly,  hastily 
assembling  his  troops,  he  followed  the  steps  of  the  Duke 
of  Friedland  into  Thuringia.  Wallenstein's  first  idea 
seems  to  have  been — the  reduction  of  Franconia ;  hut 
on  the  approach  of  a  Swedish  army,  under  Duke  Bern- 
hard,  he  altered  his  plan,  and,  for  private  reasons, 
determined  to  discharge  his  resentment  on  the  families 
of  Bayreuth  and  Cohurg.  The  former  city  was  laid 
under  a  severe  contribution,  and  the  Imperialists 
advanced  to  the  town  of  Coburg.  The  Ducal  House, 
which  was  of  the  Ernestine  family  of  Saxony,  had 
furnished  seven  brothers  who  had  borne  arms  for  the 
Evangelical  Union  against  the  House  of  Austria.  The 
Duke  himself  was  at  this  moment  with  Gustavus  ;  but 
his  rich  palace  and  great  quantities  of  merchandise, 
accumulated  for  Leipzig  fair,  lay  in  the  town.  Dew- 
battel  defended  it ;  but  a  breach  was  made  on  the  3rd 
of  October,  and  the  walls  were  stormed  in  the  defence- 
less part ;  and  not  all  the  gallantry  of  the  defenders, 
who  retired  in  good  order  into  the  castle,  could  pre- 
vent its  occupation.  Here,  however,  the  gallant  Dew- 
battel  set  Wallenstein  at  defiance,  who  could  not  make 
himself  master  of  this  castle,  although  by  that  he 
would  have  secured  the  roads  in  one  of  the  most  wild 
and  unpassable  parts  of  Germany.  This  was  part  of  an 
enterprising  and  extensive  scheme  ;  for,  had  he  gained 


ALBRECUT    VOK    WALDSTEnST. 


277 


the  Castle  of  Coburg,  he  thought  to  have  encircled 
Gustavus  in  a  wide-spread  net,  which  would  have  forced 
the  Swedes  either  to  a  speedy  retreat  back  to  the  Baltic, 
or  to  a  capitulation  of  the  King  with  his  entire  army. 
Chagrined,  therefore,  by  the  disappointment,  he  turned 
aside  from  Coburg  towards  Cronach,  and  entered  Voigt- 
land,  where  he  completed  the  work  of  ravage  which 
had  been  ruthlessly  commenced  by  Hoik  and  Gallas, 
and  then  encamping  at  Weida,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Elster,  he,  on  the  13th  and  14th  of  October,  entered 
with  his  whole  army  the  circle  of  Leipzig,  and  compelled 
that  city  to  surrender  to  his  summons.  There  was 
nothing  now,  therefore,  between  him  and  Dresden, 
whither  he  desired  to  push  on.  But  the  Saxon  army 
had  been  suddenly  called  back  for  the  defence  of  the 
capital,  and  had  advanced  as  far  as  Torgau ;  and  the 
news  of  the  King  of  Sweden's  change  of  direction,  and 
his  arrival  at  Erfurt,  gave  an  unexpected  check  to  the 
operations  of  the  Generalissimo. 

Both  armies  were  at  this  time  intent  upon  fighting.  Takes  up 
And  indeed  a  battle  could  scarcely  now  be  avoided.    Gus-    1S   ,ea  "  . 
tavus  had  marched  to  Naumburg,  which  he  reached  on  Leipzig, 
the  1st  of  November,  before  a  corps  despatched  by  the 
Duke  of  Friedland  for  the  purpose  of  occupying  it  could 
make  itself  master  of  the   place.       Wallenstein   was 
therefore  content  in  the  emergency  to  secure  the  post 
of  Weissenfels.     Between  the  two  there  is  a  range  of 
narrow  defiles,  formed  by  a  low  mountainous  ridge,  at 
the  foot  of  which  rims  the  river  Saale.    The  King  forth- 
with prepared  to  intrench  a  camp  at  Naumburg.     This 
step  puzzled  Wallenstein,  who  took  counsel  of  the  most 
experienced  men  about  him,  as  to  the  reason  of  this 
proceeding,  and  as  to  the  step  which  it  became  now 
most  advisable  for  him  to  take.     They  unanimously 
agreed,  that  it  would  not  be  prudent  to  attack  the 
King,  and  that  his  actually  fortifying  his  camp  plainly 
showed  that  it  was  the  royal  intention  not  to  abandon  it 
during  the  approaching  winter;  while  it  was  also  thought 


27^  \i.i;i;kciit    \hn    w  a  LDSTE1  S 

advisable  for  the  Imperialists,  in  the  diminished  state 
of  discipline  of  their  troops,  who  milled  repose,  again 
to  resort  to  an  encampment.  Accordingly,  with  a 
degree  of  carelessness  scarcely  to  be  expected  from  the 
great  experience  of  WaUenstein,  he  at  once  ordered 
his  troops  to  be  dispersed  into  cantonments  between 
Leipzig,  Halle,  and  Weissenfels,  with  a  view  of  taking 
up  those  quarters  for  the  winter,  which,  it  may  be 
remembered,  he  had  previously  contemplated.  Count 
Pappenheim,  more  unaccountably  still,  was  at  the  same 
time,  and  under  the  same  rash  resolve,  detached  to  the 
far-off  Rhine  to  check  the  Dutch  army,  that  was  at 
this  time  threatening  Cologne,  and  had  received  orders 
to  set  off  forthwith,  and  get  possession,  in  his  march,  of 
the  fortress  of  Moritzburg,  in  the  territory  of  Halle. 
To  Count  Coloredo  was  given  the  command  of  the 
Castle  of  Weissenfels  ;  and  the  Duke  of  Friedland  estab- 
lished the  Imperial  head-quarters  in  Leipzig. 
Difficulty         We  can  only  draw  upon  the  resources  of  our  own 

of  account-  Noughts  to  explain  the  conduct  of  WaUenstein  at  this 

ingfor  his  .  . 

conduct  at  very  important  juncture.     We  may  well  believe  that 

tins  junc-  £}ie  severe  privations  of  the  long  encampment  at  Zim- 
dorf  had  rendered  his  army  impatient  of  some  repose, 
which  might  perhaps  justify  his  condescension  in 
inquiring,  through  Pappenheim,  what  was  the  private 
opinion  of  all  the  Generals  and  Colonels ;  and  they  had 
declared  unanimously  against  any  further  offensive  ope- 
rations. It  has  been  also  very  confidently  asserted  and 
recorded,  that  WaUenstein  himself  had  a  great  indispo- 
sition to  come  to  a  hand-to-hand  engagement  with  a 
commander  like  Gustavus,  and  that  he  chose  to  avoid 
any  decisive  affair  with  him,  if  that  were  possible.  He 
had,  moreover,  established  his  army  in  good  winter- 
quarters,  exactly  in  the  position  he  desired,  to  bear  with 
all  his  influence  upon  the  Elector  of  Saxony  on  one  hand, 
and  to  leave  the  way  open  to  the  Swedish  army  to  remove 
the  seat  of  war  towards  the  coasts  of  the  Baltic.  To 
these  reasons  must  be  added  a  belief,  that  Pappenheim, 


ALBRECHT    YON    WALDSTEIN. 


279 


whose  influence  over  the  Generalissimo  was  very  great, 
had  a  private  object  of  his  own  in  getting  detached  upon 
the  expedition  to  Cologne,  from  whence  he  might  carry 
out  his  negotiation  with  the  Infanta  Governess  of  the 
Netherlands.  The  result  of  all  our  reflections  on  this 
matter  must  at  last  centre  in  this  opinion, — that  the 
detachment  of  Pappenheim  was  a  false  step,  and  the 
hasty  occupation  of  winter-quarters  a  most  serious  error, 
in  any  General,  especially  when  opposed  to  the  mili- 
tary knowledge,  ability,  and  experience  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus. 

The  King  of  Sweden  was  well  informed  of  all  the  Prepara- 
enemy's  movements ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  Pap-  "°"® 
penheim's  departure  for  Halle,  he  quickly  broke  up  his 
camp  at  Naumburg,  and  hastened  with  his  whole  army 
to  attack  the  Imperialists  before  they  could  be  again 
assembled.  The  news  of  this  resolve  greatly  astonished 
and  alarmed  Wallenstem  ;  but,  speedily  acting  upon  the 
emergency,  he  despatched  messengers  in  all  haste  to 
recall  Pappenheim,  who  had  fortunately  not  advanced 
further  than  Halle,  which  was  not  above  five  miles 
distant ;  and  the  Imperial  cantonments  had  been  so 
judiciously  marked  out  by  the  Camp  Quarter-Master- 
General,  that  in  twenty-four  hours  he  was  able  to  collect 
all  hisvarmy  in  the  wide  plain  about  Lutzen,  where,  with 
12,000  men,  he  now  awaited  boldly  the  attack  of  the 
King  with  his  20,000.  Three  cannon-shot  fired  by 
Coloredo  from  the  castle  announced  the  march  of  the 
Swedish  army  round  Weissenfels ;  and  the  Duke  of 
Friedland  immediately  adopted  the  initiative,  by  op- 
posing their  passage  over  the  Rippach.  The  high  road 
which  goes  from  Weissenfels  to  Leipzig  is  intercepted 
between  Lutzen  and  Markranstadt  by  the  Flos-Graben, 
which  unites  the  Elster  with  the  Saale.  On  this  canal 
rested  both  the  right  wing  of  the  Imperialists  and  the 
left  of  the  King  of  Sweden  ;  the  cavalry  of  both  armies 
being  in  the  plain  on  the  opposite  bank.  Wallenstein's 
head-quarters  rested  at  Lutzen,  face  to  face  with  the 


280  ALBRECHT  VON  WALDSTEIN. 

King's  royal  tent.  The  high  road  ran  hetween  the 
armies  ;  hut  the  Duke  was  in  possession  of  this  cause- 
way, and  he  made  a  deep  trench  along  either  side  of  it, 
which  he  filled  with  musketeers ;  and  on  a  command- 
ing station  he  planted  seven  large  guns,  to  sweep  the 
entire  course  of  the  road  and  canal.  The  greater  part 
of  the  plain  was  commanded  by  an  eminence,  from 
which  fourteen  pieces  of  cannon  played  over  its  whole 
extent.  Five  brigades  of  Imperial  infantry  were  formed 
up  behind  the  intrenchments,  along  the  great  road  ; 
and  some  expedients  of  trifling  moment  were  adopted 
to  impede  the  enemy,  and  at  the  same  time  to  conceal 
the  real  weakness  of  the  Imperial  army. 
Battle  of  Gustavus,  who  had  made  an  ill-advised  march  over- 
full of  (ius-  night  to  surprise  his  enemy  in  their  cmarters,  arrived 
tavus.  in  front  of  the  Imperialist  army  at  evening,  and  gave 

orders  for  the  formation  of  his  attack  on  the  ensuing 
morning.  He  arranged  his  army  in  two  lines ;  the 
infantry  in  the  centre,  commanded  by  Nicholas  Brahe, 
Count  of  Weissenburg  ' ;  the  artillery,  including  Hen- 
derson's reserve  of  Scots,  were  spread  along  in  front. 
Bernhard,  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimar,  at  the  head  of  the 
cavalry,  stood  on  the  left  wing,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  canal.  The  morning  dawned  with  a  dense  im- 
penetrable fog,  which  delayed  the  attack  till  noon ;  but 
when  it  cleared  up,  the  town  of  Lutzen  was  observed 
to  be  in  flames,  having  been  set  on  fire  by  order  of  the 
Duke,  to  prevent  any  operation  upon  that  flank.  The 
attack  was  therefore  limited  to  one  of  the  cavalry  of  Saxe 
Weimar,  on  the  left,  and  of  the  infantry  upon  the  centre. 
H^ere  the  intrepid  Swedish  battalions  were  received  with 

1  This  officer  comes  somewhat  suddenly  into  Swedish  story  on 
this  occasion.  He  is,  however,  mentioned  with  praise  in  an  atl'air 
near  Dirschau,  in  the  Polish  war  of  Gustavus  in  1626,  when  he 
was  hut  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  the  King  took  him  from 
that  time  as  a  companion,  and  he  accompanied  his  royal  friend  in 
many  daring  personal  adventures,  and  he  also  was  killed  at 
Lutzen. 


ALBRECHT  TON  WALDSTEIN.  281 

a  most  murderous  fire  from  the  cannon  on  the  height 
above,  and  from  the  musketeers  in  the  ditch,  which 
they  received  with  undaunted  resolution  ;  and,  pressing 
forward  with  courage,  leaped  upon  the  road  and  carried 
the  trenches  gallantly,  as  well  as  the  battery  of  seven 
guns  in  rear  of  it,  putting  to  flight  the  Imperial  brigades 
who  defended  it.  But,  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning, 
Wallenstein  rallied  his  fugitive  battalions,  and,  forming 
them  anew,  drove  back  the  enemy  beyond  the  road,  and 
pressed  vigorously  into  the  broken  ranks  of  the  Swedish 
main  fine.  The  battery  that  had  been  captured  was  also 
again  recovered  into  his  hands.  The  King,  at  this 
moment,  was  in  the  midst  of  his  Finland  cuirassiers, 
at  the  right  extremity  of  his  line,  spreading  terror 
among  the  Imperialist  cavalry,  when  the  report  reached 
him  that  his  infantry  of  the  centre  was  driven  back. 
Leaving,  therefore,  his  own  cavalry  to  the  care  of  General 
Horn,  he  rode  directly  to  the  place  where  his  infantry 
was  most  closely  pressed ;  but  unfortunately  the  short- 
ness of  his  sight  led  him  too  near  to  the  enemy's  ranks, 
and  the  King's  left  arm  was  suddenly  struck  and  shat- 
tered by  a  bullet ;  he  was  forthwith  led  by  the  Duke  of 
Lauenberg  to  the  rear,  when  he  received  a  second  shot, 
which  went  through  the  back,  and  he  fell  from  his 
horse,  which  was  also  pierced  by  many  wounds.  His 
charger  flying  across  the  field  without  its  rider,  and 
covered  with  blood,  proclaimed  to  the  army  and  also  to 
the  Imperialists  the  fall  of  the  King. 

A  mist  rose  again  upon  the  plain  about  the  time  Desperate 

Ithat  the  King  fell,  and,  under  cover  of  it,  the  Swedish  struggle : 
,  ,..  -ii        •  .        the  Swedes 

Generals  led  on  their  troops  with  the  view  of  recovering  are  in  the 

the  royal  body.    The  four  central  brigades  of  the  Swedes,  e?^  victo- 

1*1011  s 

led  forward  by  Stalhaus,  performed  wonders ;  but  the 
two  regiments  placed  to  oppose  them  made  such  an 
obstinate  and  unparalleled  resistance,  that  Wallenstein 
afterwards  adopted  the  residue  of  that  gallant  brigade  as 
his  palace-guard  at  Prague,  when  he  retired  into  Bohemia. 
The  Imperial  artillery  on  the  windmill  height  was  taken  ; 


282  Al.ilKKCHT   TON    WALDSTEIEr. 

and  tlio  second  line  of  the  Swedish  infantry,  under  Knip- 
hauscn,  advanced  across  the  trenches,  and  retook,  for  the 
second  time,  the  seven-gun  battery.  General  Horn,  at 
the  head  of  the  cavalry,  here  rushed  upon  the  Austrian 
dragoons,  who  made  but  a  feeble  resistance,  and  fled. 
The  Imperial  powder-waggons  took  fire  with  a  tre- 
mendous explosion,  and  the  Imperialists  every  where 
in  confusion  appeared  driven  from  the  field,  when  Pap- 
penheim  appeared  marching  up  in  compact  form,  ami 
the  victory  had  all  to  be  struggled  for  again.  This 
unexpected  appearance  revived  the  courage  of  the  Im- 
perialists, and  the  Duke  of  Friedland  quickly  re-formed 
his  lines.  Again  he  drove  the  Swedes  back  across  the 
trench,  and  retook  the  seven-gun  battery.  The  entire 
yellow  regiment,  which  had  most  distinguished  itself 
on  the  side  of  the  Swedish  infantry,  lay  dead  on  the 
ground,  in  the  order  in  which  they  had  fought.  The 
blue  regiment  had  also  succumbed,  after  a  desperate  con- 
test, from  the  charge  of  the  Austrian  horse,  under  Count 
Piccolomini, — who  had  on  this  occasion  seven  horses 
shot  under  him,  and  was  hit  in  six  different  places. 
Wallenstein  himself  was  seen  riding  amidst  death  and 
destruction  with  cool  intrepidity,  but  remained  un- 
scathed, though  men  were  falling  thick  around  him, 
and  his  mantle  was  filled  with  bullets.  While  Pappen- 
heim  was  making  his  dispositions  at  the  head  of  his 
line,  he  received  a  stroke  from  a  falcon-shot  that 
wounded  him  in  the  thigh,  and  almost  at  the  same 
instant  a  musket-ball  pierced  his  breast.  He  well 
knew  that  it  was  the  stroke  of  death  ;  though  retaining 
his  consciousness  he  spoke  cheerfully  to  his  men,  who 
nevertheless  forcibly  carried  him  from  the  field.  On 
this  Hoik  assumed  the  command  of  the  left  wing,  op- 
posing Stalhaus,  who  had  replaced  the  King.  A  third 
battle  of  two  hours'  duration  now  ensued,  with  various 
fortune,  but  without  any  decisive  result  in  that  quarter. 
Meanwhile  Piccolomini,  Tcrtzky,  and  others,  led  for- 
ward the  Imperial  centre  of  four  great  squares  of  in- 


ALBEECHT  TON  WALDSTEIN.  283 

fantry,  flanked  by  two  regiments  of  cuirassiers.  Here 
Piccolomini  was  shot  in  more  than  one  place,  but  refused 
to  quit  the  field.  The  Uplanders,  Ostrogoths,  Stru- 
landers,  and  other  Swedish  brigades  confronted  them  ; 
while  on  the  opposite  flank  of  the  field  Duke  Bernhard 
was  opposed  to  Coloredo ;  and  both  armies  remained 
engaged  till  the  evening  with  a  fury  and  obstinacy 
that  can  hardly  be  described.  The  Flos-Graben  was 
actually  filled  with  the  heaps  of  the  slain.  Tetuof  Jthe 
leaders  on  either  side  had  fallen. 

The  death  of  these  Generals  was,  however,  fatal  to  Wallen- 
the  Imperial  cause ;  for,  missing  their  accustomed  j^tei^  and 
leaders,  the  soldiers  gave  up  the  battle  for  lost,  and  quits  the 
abandoned  the  field.  The  Swedes  formed  all  their field* 
broken  lines  into  one  solid  mass,  and,  profiting  by  the 
confusion,  made  a  final  movement  across  the  trench, 
and  for  the  third  time  got  possession  of  it  and  the 
battery,  and  turned  its  guns  upon  the  enemy.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  fortune  of  the  day  mainly  inclined 
to  the  Swedish  side  from  the  tactics  of  Gustavus  in 
first  intermingling  musketeers  with  the  pikemen  in 
their  formations  ;  but  Wallenstein  had  already  adopted 
this  tactic.  The  sun  was  setting  while  the  strife  con- 
tinued, though  skill  and  courage  did  their  utmost  to 
repair  disaster ;  but  increasing  darkness  at  length  put 
an  end  to  the  conflict,  when  both  armies  separated, 
as  if  by  mutual  agreement,  and  each  party  claiming 
the  victory  quitted  the  field.  The  artillery  of  both 
armies  rested  on  the  ground.  Pappenheim's  army, 
which  was  last  in  possession  of  the  field,  might  have 
saved  the  Imperial  guns  ;  but  being  without  a  General, 
and  having  no  orders  how  to  act,  they  retired  hastily 
from  the  field  to  Leipzig,  where  they  joined  the  main 
army.  More  than  9000  corpses  were  left  unburied  on 
the  field,  and  the  entire  plain  was  covered  with  the 
wounded  and  dying.  "Wallenstein  repaired  from  the 
field,  to  receive  the  parting  breath  of  Pappenheim,  who 
was  brought  to  Leipzig,  and  who  died  there  the  next 


281  ALBRECnT  YON  WALDSTETN. 

Mr 

day,  a  faithful  servant  of  the  Emperor  and  of  the 
Church,  and  much  in  favour  with  the  troops,  whom  he 
had  often  led  to  victory.  The  Duke  of  Friedland  was 
not  quite  his  equal  in  physical  courage,  and  is  thought 
to  have  abandoned  the  field  of  Lutzen  earlier  than  was 
needful ;  although  Piccolomini  made  amends  for  his 
Generalissimo's  shyness,  hy  remaining  firm  under  ten 
wounds,  and  having  had  three  horses  killed  under  him  ; 
indeed,  he  remained  the  last  man  on  the  field.  Wallen- 
stein  is  recorded  to  have  made  his  appearance  in  the 
battle  in  a  sedan  chair,  rarely  at  the  beginning  of  it 
exposing  his  person  in  the  fight ;  and  so  much  was  his 
conduct  reflected  on  in  his  army,  that  when  he  after- 
wards brought  one  of  his  colonels  to  the  scaffold  for  some 
shortcomings  at  Lutzen,  the  latter  alleged  for  his  excuse, 
that  he  was  about  to  be  punished  "  for  running  away  like 
his  Generalissimo."  The  Duke  of  Friedland  was  con- 
fessedly defeated,  though  the  Te  Deum  was  sung  in 
honour  of  a  victoiy  in  all  Austrian  and  Spanish 
churches.  He  was,  as  may  well  be  believed,  sadly 'out 
of  temper  the  whole  time  he  rested  at  Leipzig.  He 
charged  his  officers,  right  and  left,  with  cowardice,  and 
brought  them  to  a  court-martial  on  the  spot,  when 
several  of  the  most  respectable  officers  were  disgraced, 
or  shot.  He  would  allow  of  no  appeal  to  the  Em- 
peror ;  and  by  this  merciless  severity  he  brought  upon 
himself  a  host  of  implacable  enemies,  who  from  this 
time  forth  silently  worked  out  his  ruin. 
Wallen-  Duke  Bernhard  of  Saxe  Weimar  having  collected 

rm  TjL  together  eighteen  regiments  of  infantry,  and  140  squad- 
tisbon.  rons  of  horse,  hastened  from  the  field  to  advance  across 
the  Danube  against  the  Bavarians,  and  with  the  rapi- 
dity of  lightning  appeared  before  Batisbon.  In  this 
perplexity  Maximilian  again  appealed  to  the  Emperor 
and  to  the  Duke  of  Friedland,  to  send  him  if  only  some 
5000  men,  to  afford  him  the  aid  of  their  countenance. 
Seven  messengers  were  sent  in  succession  by  the  Em- 
peror to  Wallenstein,  who  at  last  condescended  to  direct 


ALBEECHT  TON  WALDSTEIN".  285 

his  march  on  Eatisbon.  Bernhard  hastily  withdrew 
before  the  confederated  forces,  and  the  Generalissimo, 
in  no  mood  to  gratify  the  Bavarians  further,  quitted 
them  again  and  withdrew  into  Bohemia.  The  fall  of  his 
great  rival  in  glory  had  left  the  game  open  to  Wallen- 
stein,  while  it  had  shaken  to  its  centre  the  Swedish- 
Germanic  Confederacy.  The  Duke,  who  understood 
human  nature  as  well  as  most  people,  knew  how  much 
the  spirit  of  discord  would  arise  in  an  army  after  such 
a  loss ;  and  satisfied  himself  that  the  cancerous  affec- 
tions of  a  coalition  would  eat  deep  when  there  is  no 
acknowledged  head  to  keep  the  body  politic  in 
health :  he  again  adopted  the  Fabian  principle  of 
remaining  inactive,  apparently  to  lull  his  opponent  to 
repose,  while  he  set  himself  seriously  to  the  task  of 
increasing  his  active  forces  ;  in  which  task  he  spared 
nobody,  so  that  the  hereditary  provinces  groaned  during 
the  winter  of  1632  under  enormous  contributions,  which 
greatly  increased  the  bitter  cry  against  himself. 

Silesia  was  at  this  period  one  of  the  hereditary  do-  Dissension 

minions    most    exposed  to  danarer.      Three    different  ^®tv^een 

r  °  .  the  feaxons 

armies  occupied  it,  Swedes,  Saxons,  and  Prussians,  but  and 
this  crowd  of  armies  saved  the  province  to  the  Em-  Swedes, 
peror ;  for,  as  Wallenstein  had  foreseen,  the  mutual 
hatred  of  the  Saxons  and  Swedes  now  prevented  them 
from  acting  together,  and  the  jealousy  of  the  Generals 
was  opposed  to  all  unanimity.  Count  Thurn  and  Arn- 
heim  contended  for  the  chief  command,  and  the  Prus- 
sians and  Saxons  looked  upon  the  Swedes  as  troublesome 
strangers  to  Germany,  who  ought  to  be  got  rid  of  as 
speedily  as  possible. 

At   length,  in   October,  1633,  Wallenstein,  at  the  Surrender 

head  of  40,000  men,  selected  Silesia  as  the  seat  of  war,  °     f.  , 

,  ,.  Swedish 

and  marched  to  oppose  these  disconcerted  confederates,  army  at 

who  all  together  could  only  combine  a  force  of  24,000  Stemau. 

men.     They,  nevertheless,  resolved  to  give  him  baitle,  Frankfort 

and   marched   to    Munsterberg,  where   they   now   in-  on  the 

trenched  their  camp.     The  ambition  of  the  Duke  of 


28G  A  LBBECHT    VOW    WA  DDSTE1  N  . 

Friedland  was  as  strong  ;,-;  ever;  but  it  appears  to 
have  been  of  rather  a  dreaming  ami  scheming  character 
than   one  of  action.     He  was  always  apparently  glad 

of  an  excuse  for  remaining  inactive  ;  so  that  now,  in  the 
intricate  and  very  irreconcilable  design  of  ruining  at 
once  the  Emperor  and  the  Swedes,  while  he  set  him- 
self to  conclude  a  separate  peace  with  the  Saxons,  he 
commenced  a  series  of  negotiations  with  all  the  Con- 
federate  Generals  separately,  under  the  cloak  of  an 
armistice ;  and  the  two  opposing  armies  were  inex- 
plicably left  for  nine  days  within  pistol-shot  of  each 
other  under  a  suspension  of  arms.  Impatient  at  length 
at  the  ill  success  of  his  diplomacy,  he  suddenly  deter- 
mined to  display  his  strength,  and  made  a  movement 
as  if  he  designed  to  penetrate  through  Silesia  into 
Saxony,  while  he  circulated  the  report  that  Piceo- 
lomini  had  already  invaded  that  Electorate.  Arnheim 
accordingly  took  the  alarm,  and  hastened  away  to  the 
assistance  of  his  master,  John  George,  by  which  means 
the  Swedes  were  left  isolated  and  exposed.  They  were 
encamped  under  Count  Thurn  at  Steinau,  on  the  Oder. 
As  soon,  therefore,  as  Arnheim  had  marched  some 
miles  on  the  road  to  Meissen,  Wallenstein,  who  was 
always  thought  to  have  clandestine  relations  with 
th-e  Saxon  Field-Marshal,  marched  and  surprised  the 
Swedes,  who  lay  in  the  most  complete  security ;  and 
the  whole  army  surrendered  to  him  without  a  drop  of 
blood  shed,  with  all  their  columns,  baggage,  and  artil- 
lery. The  victory  of  Steinau  was  followed  by  the 
capture  of  Frankfort  on  the  Oder.  Colonels  Illo  and 
Goetz  were  then  ordered  by  Wallenstein  to  cross  the 
Warta,  and  push  forward  into  Pomerania,  where  they 
speedily  obtained  possession  of  Landsbcrg,  in  the  Neu- 
mark.  The  Duke  of  Friedland  having  thus  made  the 
Elector  of  Brandenburg  to  tremble,  the  latter  agreed 
to  a  truce ;  and  then  Wallenstein  burst  suddenly  into 
Lusatia,  and  took  Goerlitz  and  Bautzen,  as  though  he 
intended   to    follow    up    his     advantages    against    the 


ALBRECHT    YON    WALDSTEIN.  287 

Elector  of  Saxony ;  but  the  continued  successes  of 
Duke  Bernhard  in  Bavaria  had  become  so  threatening 
to  the  Emperor  and  Maximilian,  that  all  pretext  in 
Wallenstein  for  a  continuance  in  the  remote  north,  and 
of  any  longer  resisting  the  Imperial  orders,  was  over- 
come, and  he  was  accordingly  obliged  to  set  out  for 
the  Upper  Palatinate,  and  to  leave  all  his  Saxon  in- 
trigues for  the  present  to  their  fate. 

Ferdinand  had  chafed  with  continued  uneasiness  at  Wallen- 
Wallenstein's  proceedings.     He  had  indeed  given  the  ^tem  1*e" 
supreme  command  in  Germany  to  his  Generalissimo ;  Bohemia, 
but  he  was  not  disposed  that  he  should  presume  to  aga"1** 
exercise  the  authority  which  had  never  been  delegated  to  0f  the  Em- 
him   over  foreign  troops  ;    therefore  the  Emperor,  to  peror. 
evade  his  own    concessions,    had  in    consequence    re- 
quested the  King  of  Spain  to  send  to  his  aid  an  army, 
which  had  been  raised  for  the  ptu*pose  at  Milan,  and 
which  was  now  coming  up  to  the  Danube  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  Cardinal  Infanta.    Wallenstein  had  indeed 
become  no  longer  indispensable  to  the  Emperor,   for 
the  Imperial  fortunes  had  brightened  ever  since  the 
death  of  Gustavus,  and   "  the  ball  was  again   at  his 
feet."     The  Duke  of  Friedland  obeyed  his  summons,  but 
marched  slowly  towards  the  Bavarian  frontier ;  and  on 
his  march  he  stopped  to  recover  the  town  of  Cham, 
which,  as   well  as  Batisbon  and  Straubing,  had  been 
taken  by  the    Swedes.     But   no  sooner   did  he    learn 
that  the  Saxons  had  taken  advantage   of  his  absence 
to  re-enter  Bohemia,  than  he  availed  himself  of  some 
pretext  to   return   thither,   without  asking   the   Em- 
peror's permission  or  considting  him,  professing  that 
every  consideration  must  be  postponed  to  the  defence 
and  preservation  of  the  kingdom  of  Bohemia,  which 
he  indeed  already  considered  and  guarded  as  though 
it  were  his  own  property. 

Such    continued  indifference   and  unexampled   con-  The  Empe- 

tempt  of  the  Imperial  wishes,  involving  an  obvious  \or  ^Sain 

.  deprives 

injury  to  the  common  cause,  at  length   satisfied  Fer-  WaPen- 


-^  ALBRECI1T    VON   WALDSTEIV 

Btein  of  his  dinand  that  there  must  be  an  end  to  his  contract;  and 
he  became  the  more  induced  to  believe  the  unfavourable 
reports  with  regard  to  the  Duke  that  were  continually 
coming    to    his   ears,    for   they    had   become    current 
through  Germany.     Wallenstein  succeeded   indeed  in 
explaining   away  the   suspicious   negotiations  he    had 
held  with   the  enemies'  generals,  instead   of  fighting 
them  ;  and,  having  had  the  prudence  to  commit  nothing 
of  them  to  writing,  the  spies  who  had  been  sent,  at 
the  instigation  of  his  enemies,  to  search  out  the  truth 
of  these  rumours  for  the  Emperor,  had  returned  with 
nothing  against  the  General  that   could  convict  him. 
At  length,  however,  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  impatient 
at  being   ever  saci'ificed   to  Wallenstein' s  impractica- 
bility, threatened  that  if  he    shoidd   be    retained  in 
the  chief  command,  he  would  unite  his  forces  against 
the  Papal  League,  and  join  the  Swedes.     The  Spanish 
Ambassador  Iiichel  also  insisted  on  the  Duke's  dis- 
missal ;  and  many  officers  about  the  Court,  whose  estates 
had  not  been  exempted  from  Wallenstein's  exactions, 
clamoured   loudly    against    the    Generalissimo.      This 
combination  now  compelled  the  Emperor  to  consent  to 
deprive  him  once  more  of  his  command.     The  Duke  of 
Priedland   soon    saw,  by  the  cessation  of  intercourse 
jvith  Vienna,  that  his  compact  was  considered  at  an 
end,  and  rightly  conjectured  that  another  dismissal  was 
resolved  upon.     Aldringer,  one  of  the  Generals  most  in 
his  obedience,  and  now  under  his  command,  received 
the  direct  injunctions  of  the  Emperor  to  march  down 
and  join  the  Elector  of  Bavaria  on  the  Danube,  with 
or  without  the  consent  of  the  Generalissimo  ;  and  posi- 
tive orders  were  also  given  that  some  regiments  should 
be  sent  down  to  reinforce  the  army  of  the  Cardinal 
Infanta.     The  pressure  of  circumstances,  therefore,  no 
longer  permitted  of  any  delay  in  the  execution  of  the 
ambitious  plans  that  Wallenstein  had  formed  for  his 
aggrandizement.     He  had,  in  fact,  already  delayed  too 
long,  awaiting  the  favourable  configuration  of  his  horo- 


ALBKEC1IT    TON    WALDSTEIN.  289 

scope,  to  which  he  had  constantly  attended.  But  he 
could  now  no  longer  afford  to  await  the  tedious  co- 
operation of  the  stars :  in  self-defence  he  must  act,  or 
he  would  be  disarmed,  for  he  foresaw  that  when  he  was 
weak  and  defenceless  his  ruin  would  be  consummated. 

His  first  step  was,  to  assure  himself  of  the  senti-  Wallen- 

ments  of  his  principal  officers,  and  then  to  put  to  the  !*f™*s ,™e" 
„  . .        , ,      ,  ,      n  , ,  ,      ,  .  „,,      ditated  de- 

proof  the  attachment  of  the  army  to  his  person.    The  fection 

three  generals  most  admitted  to  his  confidence,  and  to  from  fc.he 
a  greater  degree  than  the  rest,  were  Kinsky,  Tertzky,  J"<?  na 
and  Illo ;  and  the  two  first  were  bound  to  him  by  the 
terms  of  relationship.  Piccolomini,  an  adventurer,  who 
was  a  student  of  his  own  in  the  stars,  and  who  had 
pretended  to  be  an  astrologer  like  himself — one  also 
who  had,  it  is  true,  evidenced  much  braveiy,  and  ob- 
tained his  protection  for  his  eminent  military  qualities, 
was  the  first  of  name  and  mark  whose  fidelity  he  sought 
to  test.  Wallenstein  disclosed  to  him  his  conviction  of 
the  Emperor's  ingratitude,  and  his  knowledge  that  Fer- 
dinand had  again  resolved  on  his  removal  from  the  com- 
mand of  the  army,  and  accordingly  that  he  had  in 
consequence  irrevocably  determined  to  abandon  entirely 
the  party  of  Austria,  and  carry  his  force,  his  name,  and 
his  influence,  to  the  side  of  the  enemy.  He  declared  to 
his  astrological  friend,  that  the  stars  were  propitious,  and 
that  he  reckoned  principally  on  Piccolomini's  services, 
to  whom  he  promised  the  greatest  rewards.  In  a 
friendly  spirit,  his  subordinate  spoke  of  the  dangers 
and  obstacles  that  must  stand  in  the  way  of  so 
hazardous  an  enterprise ;  but  Wallenstein  ridiculed 
such  fears.  "  In  such  enterprises,"  he  said,  "  nothing 
was  difficult  but  the  commencement.  Something  must 
always  be  trusted  to  fortune."  His  resolution  was 
taken,  and  he  would  encounter  the  hazard  at  the  head 
of  a  thousand  horse.  "  Quern  Deus  vult  perdere  prius 
dementit ;"  for  Piccolomini  read  the  stars  quite  dif- 
ferently from  his  great  master  in  the  art  of  war  and 
astrology ;  and,  now  apprised  of  this  dangerous  secret, 


290 


ALBRECHT    VOX    WALDSTEJX. 


he  with  native  astuteness  saw  a  way  to  his  interest 
marked  more  clearly  upon  the  eartli  than  in  the  heavens, 
and  accordingly  did  not  lose  a  moment  in  apprising  the 
Court  of  Vienna  of  this  most  important  communi- 
cation. 
Wallon-  The  Duke    of  Friedland   began    now   to    alter   his 

Btem  hahitual  character  ;  instead  of  a  close  reserve,  he  mixed 

Generals,  more  openly  with  his  generals,  occasionally  breaking 
out  to  them  in  bitter  complaints  against  the  Court. 
"  Your  merits  are  denied  their  reward,"  he  told  them  ; 
"  and  my  recommendations  of  you  are  disregarded. 
Thus  are  all  our  faithful  services  recompensed !  Who 
will  any  longer  devote  his  services  to  so  ungrateful  a 
master  ?  For  my  part,  I  am  henceforth  determined 
to  separate  myself  from  the  House  of  Austria."  In 
January,  1634;,  he  held  a  meeting  of  his  generals  at 
the  Castle  of  Pilsen.  Of  those  who  held  command  in 
his  army  about  twenty  appeared ;  but  three  of  the 
most  influential,  namely,  Gallas,  Coloredo,  and  Aldrin- 
ger,  designedly  absented  themselves ;  and  Wallenstein 
observing  this,  but  suspecting  nothing,  sent  to  press 
their  attendance.  Illo  undertook  to  learn  the  senti- 
ments of  the  officers  present,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
prepare  them  for  the  particular  part  which  he  expected 
each  of  them  to  perform.  He  began  by  laying  before 
them  the  last  orders  that  the  General  had  received 
from  the  Imperial  Court  for  the  direction  of  the  army. 
The  Emperor  had  desired  that  his  hereditary  dominions 
might  in  future  be  spared  from  winter-quarterings ; 
that  a  considerable  detachment  of  horse  should  be 
made  from  the  army  of  the  Duke  of  Friedland  for  the 
aggrandizement  of  that  of  the  Cardinal  Infanta,  and 
that,  notwithstanding  the  season,  the  Generalissimo 
should  immediately  march  to  recover  the  fortress  of 
Katisbon  to  the  Imperial  arms.  By  the  obnoxious 
turn  which  he  skilfully  gave  to  these  new  orders,  he 
found  it  easy  to  excite  the  indignation  of  the  assembly. 
After  this  well-chosen   exordium,  he  expatiated    with 


ALBRECHT  VOX  WALDSTEIX.  291 

considerable  eloquence  upon  the  merits  of  the  army 
and  the  General ;  and  upon  the  ingratitude  with  which 
they  were  requited  by  the  Emperor.  "  The  Duke  of 
Friedland  had,"  he  said,  "  contested  this  injustice,  and 
accordingly  it  was  resolved  by  the  venal  Court  again 
to  remove  him  from  the  command,  and  probably  to 
make  away  with  him  entirely.  The  Generalissimo  had 
received  reliable  information  that  the  King  of  Hun- 
gary, a  Prince  devoted  to  Spanish  and  foreign  coun- 
sels, was  to  be  nominated  to  his  command ;  that  they 
were  to  be  called  upon  to  undertake  a  winter  campaign 
for  the  recovery  of  Eatisbon,  solely  for  the  purpose 
of  harassing  and  vexing  them  ;  that  Wallenstein,  thus 
abandoned  by  the  Court,  was  under  a  perfect  inability 
to  keep  his  engagements  with  the  army.  The  very 
means  of  its  subsistence  were  to  be  taken  from  him, 
while  the  Jesuit  party  in  the  Ministry  enriched  them- 
selves with  the  produce  of  the  provinces  that  their  arms 
had  captured,  and  squandered  the  money  intended  for 
the  pay  of  the  troops  upon  purposes  quite  foreign  to  its 
object.  For  this  the  General  was  to  receive  a  dis- 
graceful dismissal ;  but  he  was  resolved  that  the  matter 
should  not  come  to  this : — he  would  resign  his  com- 
mand  before  it  should  be  wrested  from  his  hands ;  and 
this,"  continued  Illo,  "  is  what  I  am  instructed  to  com- 
municate to  you  ;  and  I  now  ask  you  whether  it  would 
be  advisable  for  us  to  lose  our  illustrious  Commander." 
An  universal  cry  that  "  they  would  not  allow  him  to  be 
taken  from  them  "  here  interrupted  the  speaker.  This 
enthusiasm  was  excited  to  the  utmost,  and  four  of  the 
officers  present  were  deputed  to  wait  upon  the  Duke  of 
Friedland  upon  the  spot,  and  to  request  that  he  would 
not  quit  the  command.  Wallenstein  received  them 
with  favour,  and  made  a  show  of  acquiescence  to  their 
wishes,  but  professed  not  to  yield  to  their  desire  until  a 
second  deputation  confirmed  the  request  of  the  first.  He 
then  engaged  not  to  quit  the  service  without  the  know- 
ledge and  consent  of  his  army.     And,  as  this  concession 

v2 


292  A.LBBECHT    TON    w  \  i.USTKi  \. 

on  his  part  seemed  to  require  a  corresponding  return 
on  theirs,  he  required  of  them  to  sign  a  written  pro- 
mise truly  and  firmly  to  adhere  to  him,  and  neither  to 
separate  themselves,  nor  allow  themselves  to  he  sepa- 
rated, from  his  command.  An  express  condition  was 
inserted  in  this  paper  : — "  As  long  as  Wallenstein  shall 
employ  the  army  in  the  Emperor's  service ;"  and,  of 
course,  none  of  the  assembled  officers  hesitated  to  sign 
what  was  apparently  an  innocent  and  reasonable  en- 
gagement. These  men  had,  in  truth,  been  called  to 
the  command  of  their  regiments  under  certain  promises 
from  the  Duke  of  Friedland,  and  were  of  course  fearful 
lest  their  important  claims  for  remuneration  would  not 
be  satisfied  if  Wallenstein  were  to  lay  down  the  chief 
command.  It  has  been  avowed,  that,  at  a  dinner  which 
followed  this  meeting,  Illo  took  the  resolution,  after 
the  glass  had  freely  circulated,  to  renew  from  these 
officers  the  promise  that  they  would  faithfullj-  hold  out 
with  the  Duke,  if  he  should  choose  to  retain  the  office 
of  General,  and  that  this  written  engagement  was 
signed  over  again ;  but  that  Piccolomini  and  others 
who  were  present  at  the  entertainment  discovered 
with  astonishment  that  the  saving  clause  of  the  Em- 
peror's service  was  omitted  from  this  second  document. 
There  are  some  biographers  (especially  Eorster,  the 
most  recent  of  them)  who  deny  this  charge  of  duplicity 
in  Wallenstein,  asserting  that  if  any  double  dealing 
had  been  practised  by  him  upon  them,  they  would  have 
appealed  to  it  for  their  own  justification.  "  IAtera 
scripta  manet."  From  neither  copy  could  the  Duke  of 
Friedland  have  been  acquitted  from  the  charge  of  con- 
spiracy against  lawful  authorit/v.  The  next  day  he 
himself  assembled  the  officers,  and  they  had  expressed 
their  allegiance  to  him  by  this  document,  when  none 
dissented  from  their  engagement ;  and  on  his  individual 
part  he  undertook  to  confirm  the  whole  tenor  of  the 
agreement  entered  into  between  Illo  and  them. 

Tlic  Em-  Nothing  now  remained  but  to  obtain  a  similar  assur- 

peror  conn- 


ALBBECHT    TON    WALDSTEEN.  293 

ance  from  the  absent  Generals  ;  and  renewed  invitations  fcerworks 
were  sent  to  Gallas,  Coloredo,  and  Aldringer,  to  hasten  ste\n»s  jjs. 
then-  return.  A  rumour  of  the  proceedings  that  had  loyal  pro- 
occurred  at  Pilsen  met  them  on  their  way.  Aldrin-  ceedings- 
ger  accordingly  at  once  returned  to  the  strong  fortress 
of  Frauenberg,  of  which  he  was  governor,  and,  feigning 
illness,  resolved  to  be  on  his  guard.  Gallas  alone  made 
his  appearance,  but  he  was  already  in  concert  with 
Piccolomini  and  in  free  communication  with  the  Court 
of  Vienna  as  to  all  Wallenstein's  proceedings.  These 
two  men  were  empowered  by  secret  instructions  from 
the  Emperor's  own  hand  to  secure  the  persons  of  the 
Duke  of  Friedland  and  his  two  associates,  Illo  and 
Tertzky,  and  to  place  them  in  secure  and  close  confine- 
ment, until  they  should  have  an  opportunity  granted 
to  them  by  the  Emperor  of  answering  for  their  con- 
duct. But  the  honour  of  bearding  the  Hon  in  his  den 
was  too  much  for  these  sycophants.  It  was  dangerous 
enough  to  be  the  depository  of  such  a  commission, 
much  more  so  to  be  called  upon  to  execute  it.  If 
Wallenstein  should  discover  the  secret,  they  knew  that 
nothing  could  save  them  from  the  effects  of  his  ven- 
geance and  despair.  It  was  in  the  terms  of  the  patent 
that  the  persons  of  Wallenstein  and  his  friends  should 
be  at  once  secured  dead  or  alive ;  but  it  was  as 
hazardous  to  destroy,  as  to  make  an  attempt  to  lay 
hands  upon  a  man  whose  person  was  deemed  almost 
inviolable  by  the  entire  army  who  surrounded  him. 
It  was  doubtful,  after  what  had  so  recently  transpired, 
whether  the  soldiers  would  be  ready  to  coalesce  with 
his  murderers,  and  abandon  Wallenstein's  brilliant  ser- 
vice in  order  to  trust  to  the  Emperor's  promises.  So 
deeply  were  fear  and  veneration  of  their  General  en- 
graven in  the  breasts  of  the  soldiers,  that  the  attempt 
to  seize  him  in  the  midst  of  a  guard  devoted  to  him 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  make  the  boldest  hesitate. 

The  continued  absence  of  Aldringer  began  to  excite  Wallen- 
the  Duke's  suspicions ;  and  Gallas,  in  the  difficulty  in  jjjjjdb^8" 


294 


\  LBBECHT    VOS    WALDSTEIX. 


Gallaa  and 
Aldringer. 


Wallen- 
stein  de- 
tects Pic- 
colomini's 
treachery, 
and  re- 
solves to 
quit  the 
Emperor's 
service. 


which  he  was  placed  by  the  Emperor's  commission, 
desired  to  have  an  interview  with  him,  and  to  consult 
him  as  to  how  best  to  obey  his  instructions  in  this  emer- 
gency. Accordingly,  he  offered  to  Wallenstein  to 
repair  in  person  to  Erauenberg,  in  order  to  prevail  on 
Aldringer,  who  was  his  relation,  to  return  with  him. 
Pleased  with  this  evidence  of  zeal,  the  Duke  not  only 
yielded  the  required  permission,  but  lent  his  own 
equipage  for  the  journey.  Eejoicing  at  the  success  of 
his  stratagem,  the  chief  conspirator  quitted  Pilsen 
without  delay,  leaving  to  Piccolomini  the  task  of  keep- 
ing his  eye  upon  Wallenstein.  Gall  as,  however,  did 
not  bring  back  Aldringer,  but  sent  him  forward  in  all 
haste  to  Vienna,  to  represent  the  difficulties  of  the  task 
imposed  upon  them,  while  he  betook  himself,  under 
some  excuse,  to  Upper  Austria,  having  now  resolved  to 
abandon  his  friend. 

In  the  mean  while  symptoms  of  desertion  of  humbler 
adherents  became  suspicious,  yet  the  attachment  to 
their  cloth,  which  always  makes  soldiers  brethren,  pre- 
vented Wallenstein  from  entertaining  any  suspicion  of 
Piccolomini ;  and  so  blind  was  he  in  this  attachment, 
or  so  inordinately  confident  in  his  star,  and  in  the  im- 
possibility of  any  one  having  the  power  to  deceive  him 
(which  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  remarkable 
features  of  his  character),  that  he  actually  suffered 
himself  to  be  again  so  overreached  by  the  supposed 
fidelity  of  this  brother  astrologist,  who  now  offered  to  go 
after  Gallas,  that  he  was  also  conveyed  on  his  mission 
in  the  General's  own  carriage  as  far  as  Lintz.  At  this 
place  Piccolomini  knew  that  the  troops  assembled  there 
were  for  the  express  purpose  of  securing  the  Duke's 
person,  and  that  he  was  expected  to  place  himself  at 
the  head  of  them.  Another  army  under  General  Siegs 
was  also  collecting  at  Prague,  where  Gallas  had  now 
already  announced  himself  publicly  as  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  named  by  the  Emperor's  commission,  in  suc- 
cession to  the  Duke  of  Friedland,  and  from  whom  all 


ALBEECHT    VON    WALDSTEIN.  295 

were  henceforth  to  receive  their  orders.  The  mist  then 
at  length  dropped  from  the  eyes  of  Wallenstein,  and  he 
awoke  in  considerable  consternation  from  his  dream  of 
security.  Suddenly  and  fearfully  he  beheld  all  his  pro- 
jects ruined  and  all  his  hopes  annihilated  ;  but  it  is  under 
such  circumstances  that  great  minds  reveal  themselves. 
Though  deceived,  he  refused  to  abandon  his  designs, 
and  would  despair  of  nothing  while  he  held  life  and 
power.  His  first  act  was  to  issue  orders  that  no  com- 
mands were  to  be  obeyed  as  coming  from  him,  unless 
they  proceeded  directly  from  himself,  or  from  Tertzky, 
or  Illo  ;  and  he  prepared  with  his  accustomed  resolution 
to  march  his  army  in  haste  upon  Prague,  where  he 
intended  to  throw  off  the  mask  and  to  declare  openly 
against  the  Emperor.  He  saw,  however,  that  the  time 
had  arrived  when  he  absolutely  required  more  extensive 
support  and  assistance ;  and  he  looked  again  to  Sweden 
and  Saxony,  whose  aid  he  could  now  implore  with  real 
sincerity  of  purpose.  Tertzky  was  in  motion  with  this 
object,  to  place  himself  in  communication  with  Duke 
Bernhard  of  Saxe  Weimar,  who  had  promised  to  lend 
Wallenstein  the  countenance  of  some  Swedish  soldiers  to 
aid  him  in  his  conspiracy  ;  but  while  the  Generalissimo 
was  himself  preparing  to  follow  the  troops,  he  learned 
that  Prague  had  been  already  secured  by  Gallas,  and  that 
Piccolomini  was  advancing  in  force  against  him.  He  now 
saw  clearly  that  he  had  no  friends  about  him  on  whom 
to  rely.  He  applied  himself  without  loss  of  a  moment 
to  Oxenstierna  and  Arnheim  direct,  requesting  them  to 
send  down  Swedes  and  Saxons  to  his  assistance ;  and 
in  consequence  the  Duke  Francis  of  Saxe  Lauenberg 
was  despatched  with  4000  of  the  latter,  and  Duke 
Bernhard  with  6000  of  the  former,  prepared  to  join 
Tertzky  and  the  few  officers  and  soldiers  who  were,  or 
pretended  to  be,  faithful  to  Wallenstein,  who  himself 
repaired  to  Egra,  on  the  frontiers  of  Bohemia,  in 
order  to  facilitate  his  junction  with  the  enemies  of  his 
Sovereign. 


29G  AXBBECHT    VON    WALBSTKIK. 

Rejects  the  It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  one  of  his 
advice  of  suite  asked  leave  to  offer  him  his  advice  : — "  Under  the 
fullowers.  Emperor,"  said  he,  "your  Highness  is  certain  of  being 
a  great  and  respected  nohle ;  with  the  enemy  you  are 
at  hest  but  a  precarious  king.  It  is  unwise  to  risk 
certainty  for  an  uncertainty.  The  enemy  will  avail 
themselves  of  your  personal  influence  only  while  the 
opportunity  lasts,  hut  will  ever  regard  you  with  sus- 
picion, and  will  always  be  apprehensive  that  you  will 
treat  them  as  you  will  have  treated  the  Emperor. 
Return,  then,  to  your  allegiance  while  there  is  yet 
time."  "But  how  is  that  to  be  done  now?"  inter- 
rupted Wallenstein.  "  You  have  40,000  men  at  arms," 
was  the  reply  (meaning  gold  ducats,  or  money  stamped 
with  the  figure  of  an  armed  man);  "take  them  with 
you,  and  go  straight  to  the  Imperial  Court :  declare 
that  the  steps  you  have  taken  hitherto  were  merely 
designed  to  test  the  fidelity  of  your  adherents,  and  of 
distinguishing  the  loyal  from  the  doubtful ;  and  say 
you  come  to  warn  His  Imperial  Majesty  against  these 
dangerous  men.  Thus  you  will  make  them  appear  as 
traitors  who  are  labouring  to  destroy  you.  And  at 
the  Imperial  Court  40,000  ducats  will  be  sure  to  be 
welcome,  while  Friedland  will  be  again  the  man  that 
he  was  at  the  first."  "  The  advice  is  good,"  said  Wal- 
lenstein, after  a  pause  ;  "  but  let  the  devil  trust  to  it." 
Nevertheless,  he  so  far  acted  upon  it,  that  he  sent  the 
Colonels  Brenner  and  Mohswald  to  Vienna,  with  a 
letter  to  the  Emperor  in  explanation  of  his  conduct, 
and  to  assure  him  that  he  was  willing  quietly  to  give 
up  the  chief  command  of  the  army,  and  to  justify  him- 
self; but  his  enemies  prevented  this  message  (if  it  was 
in  truth  ever  sent,  for  it  is  only  a  suggestion  of  one 
historian)  from  ever  reaching  the  Emperor  Ferdinand. 
John  Gordon  at  this  time  commanded  the  garrison  at 
Egra,  an  officer  in  whom  Wallenstein  placed  no  small 
confidence,  as  he  had  raised  him  from  the  ranks,  and 
made  him  Lieutenant -Colonel  of  Tertzky's  regiment. 


ALBRECHT   TON   WALDSTEIS".  297 

He  was  a  Scotch  Protestant,  as  was  also  Leslie,  who 
bad  been  especially  distinguished  and  benefited  by  the 
Duke  of  Friedland,  and  now  held  the  post  of  Watch- 
Master-General.  Before  he  quitted  Pilsen  he  sent  to 
desire  speech  with  these  two  men,  who  met  him  on  his 
march,  escorted  by  Colonel  James  Butler,  an  Irish 
Papist,  who  commanded  50  horsemen,  and  200  infantry 
of  his  countrymen.  The  conversation  that  was  held  in 
the  General's  lodgings  between  these  men  induced  them 
subsequently  to  reveal  to  one  another,  that  an  Imperial 
decree,  proclaiming  the  Duke  of  Friedland  a  traitor,  had 
been  openly  promulgated,  and  that  he  was  a  lost  man. 

These  people  were,  as  has  been  noted,  deeply  indebted  Treacher- 
to  Wallenstein's  favour,  and  they  had  so  completely  °us  con,- 
earned  his  implicit  confidence,  that  he  now  placed  his  Leslie  and 
person  under  their  protection  as  his  surest  and  most  n.is  asso" 

cititcs 

faithful  champions.  Leslie,  won  over  by  Piccolomini, 
appears  to  have  been  the  first  to  turn  and  tempt  the 
rest  against  the  Generalissimo,  their  common  bene- 
factor. The  canny  Scot  showed  them  that  they  were 
now  called  to  choose  between  treason  and  duty,  between 
their  Sovereign  and  a  denounced  rebel,  and  convinced 
them  of  its  being  their  interest  to  turn  against  him. 
The  three  friends  agreed  at  their  first  meeting  in  the 
bold  resolve,  that  they  would  take  their  victim  alive  by 
securing  him  and  delivering  him  up  a  prisoner.  To 
Leslie,  however,  Wallenstein  had  unbosomed  himself 
subsequently  to  such  an  extent,  that  they  saw  that 
the  expected  arrival  of  Duke  Bernhard,  and  others,  who 
might  appear  at  the  earliest  opportunity,  admitted  of 
no  half-nieasures,  for  that  Egra  might  be  at  any  mo- 
ment in  the  enemy's  hands  ;  and  in  the  revolution  their 
renowned  prisoner  might  be  taken  out  of  their  custody, 
and  their  hope  and  expectation  of  reward  would  be  alto- 
gether annihilated.  To  anticipate  this  mischance,  they 
determined  together  that  the  Duke  must  be  assassinated 
on  the  following  night  without  further  scruple.  It  was 
arranged  that  Colonel  Butler  should  give  a  supper  in 


298  AISEECHT    VON"    WALDSTK1.V. 

his  apartments  in  the  Castle  of  Egra  on  the  25th  of 
February  to  the  chief  officers,  and  that  the  fearful  deed 
should  be  perpetrated  at  this  entertainment.  Illo, 
Tertzky,  and  Kinsky  attended  the  invitation  when  given 
to  them  without  the  slightest  mistrust ;  but  Wallen- 
stein,  although  he  suspected  nothing,  excused  himself. 
Plot  for  As    the    castle    was   a  fortification    within    a  forti- 

natioiTot"51  ncation,  no  place  could  be  more  commodious  for  the 
Wallen-  perpetration  of  a  wholesale  massacre.  Previous  to  the 
stem.  arrival  of  the  guests,  trusty  soldiers,  who  were  privy  to 

the  plot,  were  admitted  into  the  castle.  But,  later  in 
the  evening,  Captain  Walter  Devereux,  an  Irishman, 
with  fifteen  men,  was  specially  selected  for  the  execution 
of  the  dangerous  enterprise  of  giving  the  blow,  and  ad- 
mitted by  a  postern  gate.  Wallenstein  was  closeted 
with  Battista  Seni,  his  astrologer  extraordinary,  and 
they  were  occupied  in  reading  the  stars  while  the  sup- 
per was  taking  place  in  the  Castle  of  Egra.  "  The  dan- 
ger is  not  yet  past,"  said  Seni,  with  prophetic  spirit.  "  It 
is,"  exclaimed  the  Duke,  who  would  give  the  law  even  to 
heaven  itself ;  and  he  added  with  irony,  or  with  his  habi- 
tual tone  of  humour,  "it  is  written  that  thou,  friend 
Seni,  shalt  also  be  thrown  into  prison."  His  wonted 
generosity  and  kindness  to  his  astrologer  prevented  the 
latter  from  taking  this  amiss;  but,  nevertheless,  he 
shortly  took  his  leave,  and  Wallenstein  retired  to  bed. 
His  death.  When  the  repast  was  nearly  finished,  Gordon,  or 
Leslie,  proposed  the  health  of  the  Elector  of  Saxony ; 
on  which  Butler  professed  surprise,  and  declared  "  he 
would  drink  to  no  man's  prosperity  who  was  an  enemy 
of  the  Csesar."  The  wine  let  loose  the  tongues,  and 
the  guests  freely  abandoned  themselves  to  loud  and 
vehement  conversation.  Wallenstein's  health  was 
drunk  in  full  bumpers,  not  as  a  servant  of  the  Em- 
peror, but  as  an  independent  Sovereign  Prince ;  and 
Illo  boasted  "  that  in  three  days  their  master  would  be 
at  the  head  of  such  an  army  as  he  had  never  before  com- 
manded."    About  ten  in  the  evening  Devereux  entered 


ALBBECHT    TO?T    WALDSTEIN.  299 

the  hall  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  attended  by 
seven  or  eight  soldiers  armed  in  the  same  manner. 
"Long  live  Ferdinand  the  Second,"  he  cried;  "and 
long  prosper  the  House  of  Austria  ! "  The  tables  were 
overturned  in  a  moment.  Illo  and  Tertzky,  suspecting 
mischief,  laid  their  hands  upon  their  swords.  Leslie 
gave  orders  to  raise  the  drawbridges  ;  and  the  hall  was 
suddenly  filled  with  armed  men,  who  placed  themselves 
behind  the  chairs  of  these  doomed  guests.  Surprised, 
and  with  a  presentiment  of  their  intended  fate,  they 
sprang  from  the  table,  but  before  they  could  defend 
themselves  both  were  killed  on  the  spot.  Wallenstein, 
as  has  been  stated,  had  gone  to  bed,  but  he  was  roused 
from  his  first  sleep  by  the  report  of  a  musket,  and 
sprang  to  the  window  to  learn  the  occasion  of  it,  whe n 
he  heard  the  screams  of  Tertzky's  and  Illo's  wives,  who 
had  just  learned  the  fate  of  their  husbands  ;  but  before 
he  had  time  to  reflect  on  the  occasion  of  the  uproar,  a 
heavy  weight  fell  against  his  bolted  door,  and  burst  it 
open.  It  was  Captain  Devereux,  with  six  halberdiers 
at  his  back,  who  now  presented  themselves  before  the 
General.  The  Duke  was  in  his  shirt  and  night-gown, 
and  had  neither  sword  nor  pistols  with  him,  proving 
how  utterly  unconscious  he  was  of  any  design  against 
his  life.  "  Art  thou  the  villain,"  said  Devereux,  "  who 
intends  to  deliver  up  the  Emperor's  troops  to  the 
enemy,  and  to  tear  the  crown  from  the  head  of  His 
Majesty?  Now  thou  must  die."  Astonishment  ap- 
pears to  have  seized  Wallenstein  to  such  a  degree  that 
he  remained  unmoved,  and  returned  no  answer,  but 
threw  his  arms  wide  open,  and  even  bared  his  breast, 
to  receive  the  blow.  He  was  offered  a  few  moments 
to  say  his  prayers,  but  did  not  utter  a  single  word  from 
first  to  last.  The  deadly  thrust  of  their  weapons  did 
the  work  of  death  in  an  instant,  and  the  illustrious 
Duke  of  Friedland  fell  weltering  in  his  blood  without 
uttering  a  groan,  and  closed  his  active  and  extra- 
ordinary life  in  an  instant,  under  the  vigour  of  only  fifty 


300  ALliHlXHT    VON    WAIiDBTEEBT. 

years.    The  naked  body  of  Wallenstein,  with  those  of  his 

fellow-victims,  was  carried  in  a  dung-cart  through  the 

principal  streets  of  Egra  with  ignominy  and  insult,  and 

tin-own  into  a  ditch ;  but  the  Emperor  conceded  to  his 

widow  subsequently  that  it  should  be  interred  under 

the  chapel  of  his  palace  at  Gitschin  in  Moravia,  which 

he  had  there  caused  to  be  erected. 

The  assus-        It  is  related  that  Ferdinand,  when  he  heard  of  his 

sins  al"°  .     death,  shed  one  tear  over  the  fate  of  his  General,  and 
rewarded.  '  ' 

ordered  3000  masses  to  be  sung  for  his  soul  at  Vienna. 
Devereux  and  Butler,  with  the  illustrious  blood  of  Wal- 
lenstein on  their  consciences,  hastened  to  the  Court,  and 
were  the  first  to  meet  the  Emperor  as  he  emitted  church. 
Upon  seeing  the  latter,  the  Csesar  exclaimed,  "  Deus 
conservet  et  benedicat  dilectum  nobis  caput  Butlerum 
nostrum."  He  then  carried  the  two  officers  to  the  Arch- 
bishop who  had  just  performed  mass  before  him,  and 
ordered  him  to  place  gold  chains  on  their  necks  with 
the  benediction  of  the  Church.  Gold  purses,  gold  chains, 
chamberlains'  keys,  and  dignities,  rewarded  the  other 
assassins,  and  the  conspirators  against  Wallenstein 
shared  his  estates  amongst  them.  G alias  received 
Friedland  ;  Piccolomini,  Rachod  ;  Coloredo,  Opotschno  ; 
Aldringer,  Toplitz ;  and  the  Emperor,  as  head  con- 
spirator, appropriated  Sagan  and  Glogau  to  himself. 
The  money  found  in  Wallenstein' s  treasury  was  scat- 
tered as  largess  among  the  soldiery ;  and  £2000  were 
paid  down  en  argent  comptant  to  each  captain.  His 
very  house  perished,  and  all  his  mighty  power  and 
possessions  were  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 
The  estate  of  Gitschin,  in  which  it  is  believed  the 
sepulchral  chamber  of  the  Duke  of  Friedland  is  situated, 
or  as  some  call  it  the  Neuschloss,  was  assigned  as  the 
widow's  portion ;  and  it  descended  to  their  only  child, 
called  Maria  Elizabeth,  afterwards  married  to  a  Count 
Kaunitz. 
Wallen-  It  is  not   necessary  at   this   time   of  day  to  pro- 

rtein'sepi-  nounce  any  sentence  upon  this  grievous  termination  of 


s 


ALBEECIIT    XOTt    WALDSTEIN.  301 

a  gorgeous  military  career.     It  has  been    written  of  reflections 
him  in  a  Latin  epitaph,  by  Father  Joseph, —  ductand1" 

"  Gloriam  dedit  imperio,  Imperium  sibi  ruinam  :  character. 

Vitam,  opes,  amicos  pro  Csesare  toties  exposuit, 
Vitara  opes  amicos  Caesar  semel  abstulit : 
Vita  cessat — Fama  durat." 

The  room  in  the  burgomaster's  house  at  Egra,  where  this 
base  murder  was  committed,  may  still  be  seen  by  the  in- 
quisitive traveller,  and  the  blood-spots  on  the  wall  speak 
still  to  the  compassion  of  men,  and  to  their  denounce- 
ment of  Imperial  bloody-mindedness.  The  mighty  re- 
nown of  Wallenstein  is  not  recorded,  it  is  believed,  in 
brass  or  marble  any  where,  but  it  will  for  ever  live  in 
the  mind  of  posterity,  and  in  the  song  of  the  most 
illustrious  poet  of  Germany.  An  historian,  Friedrich 
Forster  of  Potsdam,  has  recently  given  to  the  world 
some  documents  recovered  out  of  family  archives,  to 
attest  his  innocence  of  treason ;  but  the  whole  chain 
of  history  must  be  broken  into  fragments  before  the 
sad  truth  of  his  criminality  can  be  denied,  or  his  inno- 
cence be  admitted  by  posterity. 

Wallenstein  is  said  to  have  been  in  figure  tall,  with  a 
martial  and  rather  severe  air,  remarkably  high  forehead, 
and  hair  dark  and  reddish  in  his  manhood,  but  which 
had  already  become  grey  before  his  death.  He  was  a 
man  of  unfathomable  silence  and  profound  dissimula- 
tion. His  extreme  desire  that  a  Generalissimo  should 
never  familiarize  himself  with  the  generals  and  officers 
below  him  induced  him  to  affect  to  eat  alone.  He 
professed  a  sort  of  natural  antipathy  to  noise,  so  that 
his  officers  were  even  careful  that  the  rowels  of  their 
spurs  should  be  bound  with  a  little  silk  to  pay  court  to 
the  commander's  singularity.  When  any  one  made  a 
noise,  in  his  extreme  rage  he  would  cry  out,  "  Hang 
that  brute." 

/  He  was,  undoubtedly,  one  of  the  greatest  generals  of 
his  time,  and  this  in  a  sense  superior  to  all  others  ; 
for  he  knew  how  to  collect  armies,  how  to  discipline 
them  in  the  shortest  time,  how  to  organize  them,  how 


302  AUSHECHT    TON   WALDSTETN. 

to  direct  them  best  into  combat,  and  how  most  cer- 
tainly to  lead  them  to  victory.  He  had  the  highest 
qualities  for  both  a  hero  and  a  ruler — prudence,  justice, 
and  courage;  and  no  one  ever  surpassed  him  in  the 
qualities  of  firmness  and  perseverance.  Terror  was  the 
talisman  by  which  he  worked  on  the  minds  of  men. 
Stern  he  was  in  countenance,  silent  as  fate,  inexorable 
as  destiny.  Before  he  uttered  he  knew  and  had 
weighed  in  his  mind  all  that  he  wished  to  execute ; 
and  when  he  spoke,  he  only  communicated  to  his 
instruments  what  was  necessary  for  each  subordinate  to 
know  for  the  attainment  of  his  settled,  predetermined 
purpose.  No  one  dared  to  question  him.  Extreme  in 
the  severity  of  his  punishments  as  bounteous  in  his 
rewards,  he  knew  precisely  how  to  excite  the  zeal  of 
his  followers,  and  how  to  sustain  it  to  its  required 
extent ;  for  no  general  of  ancient  or  modern  times 
could  boast  of  being  obeyed  with  equal  alacrity.  Ab- 
solute submission  to  his  command  was  more  highly 
appreciated  by  him  than  bravery.  He  was  always 
grasping  after  wealth  and  power  ;  but  when  he  ob- 
tained the  former,  it  was  to  dispense  it  with  lavish 
prodigality ;  so  that  it  may  be  said  of  him,  as  was 
said  of  Wolsey, — 

"  Though  he  were  unsatisfied  in  getting, 
Which  were  a  sin ;  yet  in  bestowing 
He  was  most  bounteous." 

He  deemed  submission  to  a  General's  will  to  be  so 
pre-eminently  the  one  great  quality  of  a  soldier,  that  he 
would  maintain  it  by  capricious  orders,  and  lavish  a 
reward  where  he  found  obedience,  while  he  would  merci- 
lessly punish  the  smallest  attempt  to  evade  his  com- 
mands. He  once  issued  a  general  order,  with  the  penalty 
of  death  on  disobedience, — that  none  but  red  sashes 
should  be  worn  in  his  army.  A  captain  of  horse  was 
no  sooner  informed  of  it,  than,  pulling  off  the  hand- 
some gold  embroidered  sash  he  wore,  he  trampled  it 
under  foot.  As  soon  as  Wallenstein  was  informed  of 
the  circumstance,  he  sent  for  the  officer,  and  promoted 


ALBRECHT    VON    WALDSTEEN".  303 

him  to  the  rank  of  colonel  on  the  spot.  In  all  his  ap- 
parent caprice  he  steadily  kept  in  view  his  one  ruling 
aim  of  power.  It  was  Wallenstein  who  held  the  maxim, 
"  Que  la  fortune  favorise  toujours  les  gros  escadrons  ;" 
there  is,  however,  a  very  great  number  of  aspirants  to 
the  honour  of  this  dictum,  and  some  will  have  it  to  be 
a  saying  of  Napoleon.  It  is  a  truth,  whoever  said  it. 
The  maraudings  that  were  on  one  occasion  carried  on 
by  his  soldiers  in  a  friendly  country  required  in  his  judg- 
ment some  marked  example ;  and  Wallenstein  having 
encountered  a  straggler  in  the  very  act,  commanded  him 
to  be  seized,  and,  without  awaiting  any  trial,  in  his  usual 
voice  of  thunder,  he  exclaimed,  "  Hang  that  fellow." 
The  culprit  pleaded  and  proved  his  innocence  ;  but 
Wallenstein  had  already  passed  sentence,  and  would  al- 
low no  opposition  to  avail.  "  Let  him  be  hanged  even  if 
he  be  innocent,  and  the  guilty  will  have  more  reason 
to  tremble."  Preparations  were  ab*eady  making  to 
carry  the 'sentence  into  execution,  when  the  soldier, 
rendered  desperate,  broke  from  those  who  held  him, 
and,  with  the  resolution  that  he  would  not  die  without 
his  revenge,  fell  furiously  upon  the  Duke ;  but  the  man 
was  fortunately  disarmed  before  he  could  fulfil  his 
design,  when  Wallenstein  said,  "  Now  let  him  go  ;  my 
object  is  attained ;  the  punishment  he  was  about  to 
undergo  has  done  its  work,  and  will  excite  sufficient 
terror."  He  was  rather  successful  by  the  means  of 
good  fortune  than  great  in  the  inventive  art  of  war ; 
and  he  was  much  better  qualified  to  maintain  discipline 
and  subsist  an  army, — in  both  which  talents  he  was 
admirable, — than  to  conduct  it  scientifically  in  the  day 
of  battle. 

The  whole   German  people  unite  in  insisting,  with  The  crown 

national  partiality,  on  the  rectitude  of  character  of  this  °f  Boll<;mia 
, .  ,     .     . .  ,  at  one  time 

extraordinary  man ;    but   it   must    be  admitted,   that  offered  to 

among  all  the  public  and  well-attested  actions  of  Wal-  him.by 
lenstein  there  is  not  one  that  could  work  out  a  clear  xiIL:  mis- 
acquittal  before  any  twelve    men  of  the  world.     He  statement 
was  from  the  earliest  step  of  his  career  a  man  seeking0  ^chlUer- 


.101- 


A.LBBECITT   VOX   WALDSTE1B". 

the  aggrandizement  of  self  by  the  sordid  acquisition  o 
wealth.  To  this  lie  gave  all  his  mind,reckleB8  as  to  an  en 
lightened  and  judicious  management  of  it.     lie  owed  hi 
Duchies  of  Friedland,  Sagan,  Glogau,  and  Mecklenburg 
to  the  cupidity,  urgency,  and  importunity  of  his  owi 
solicitations  for  his  unquestionable  services  to  the  State 
but  he  was  equally  ready  to  have  obtained  the  crown  o 
Denmark  out  of  an  unsettled  fidelity  to  his  Imperia 
Master.     It  now,  however,  appears  from  the  publish  r< 
Richelieu    Memoirs,    and    the   correspondence    of  th( 
Marquis   de  Feuquieres,    that  a  distinct    offer  of  the 
crown  of  Bohemia  was  made  him  by  Louis  XIII.     On 
the  other  hand,  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  no 
paper  extant,  under  the  handwriting  of  Wallenstcin, 
nor  any  authentic  juridical  act,  that  attests  his  guilt 
There  is  only  the  consistent  combination  of  cause  and 
effect,  and  the  undeviating   unanimity  of  historians, 
Catholic  and  Protestant,  that  determines  a  verdict  of 
"  Guilt)/"  but  nothing  to  justify  "  Death."     Schiller 
says,  "  Wallenstcin  fell,  not  because  he  was  a  rebel ;  but 
he  became  a  rebel,  because  he  fell."     This  is  not  the 
fairest  way  of  putting  it.     He   was,  when  he  died,   in 
the  very  act  of  levjang  war  against  his  Sovereign,  and 
of  allying  himself  with  the  enemies  of  his  church  and 
nation,  against  the  Emperor  and  the  Catholic  League  ; 
and  it  was  only  a  barbarous  and  cruel  murder  that  pre- 
vented him  from  dying  a  convicted  rebel  at  the  very 
period  when  he  fell.     A  man  whom  almost  all  his  con- 
temporaries and  associates  united  in  condemning  can- 
not but  have  been  a  worthless  character.     The  great 
Oxcnstierna  has  left  a  record  concerning  Wallenstein, 
that  "  he  who  betrays  his  own  country  will  betray  an- 
other ;"   and  Bernhard  of  Saxe  Weimar   answered  an 
offer  of  coalition  which  was  made  him  by  stating  that 
"  no  man  can  put  faith  in  one  who  does  not  believe 
in  God2." 

2  Mitchell's  Life  of  Wallenstein  ;  Harte,  Schiller,  Carte,  Fryell, 
Menzell,  Richelieu's  Memoirs,  Feuquieres'  Correspondence,  and 
Biographies,  passim. 


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